Describes the limited capacity of child protective services (CPS) to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect and suggests reforms that could yield a flexible system for protecting children. Articles in this single-focus issue of The Future of Children examine: (1) the historical roots to the response to child abuse and neglect in the United States and legislation enacted to make the protection of children a governmental function; (2) the controversies surrounding the definition of child abuse as well as current knowledge about the short- and long-term consequences of child maltreatment; (3) family-centered services, an approach that encompasses both family support and family preservation; (4) the rapid growth in kinship foster care; (5) the relationship between child welfare and cash assistance; and (6) experiments in community-based partnerships in Florida, Iowa, and Missouri that provide differentiated responses to high- and low-risk families. Additional commentaries cover the impact of class-action lawsuits, separation of the investigative and placement powers of CPS, and the role of community organizations in preventing child abuse and its recurrence. Recommendations concern raising training and professional qualifications for caseworkers, funding research to link interventions to child and family outcomes, strengthening informal community resources, and reducing family poverty. CONTENTS Statement of Purpose – Richard E. Behrman Protecting Children from Abuse and Neglect: Analysis and Recommendations – Mary B. Larner, Carol S. Stevenson, and Richard E. Behrman Past, Present, and Future Roles of Child Protective Services – Patricia A. Schene The Extent and Consequences of Child Maltreatment – Diana J. English Family-Centered Services: Approaches and Effectiveness – Jacquelyn McCroskey and William Meezan When Children Cannot Remain Home: Foster Family Care and Kinship Care – Jill Duerr Berrick The Costs of Child Protection in the Context of Welfare Reform – Mark E. Courtney Rethinking the Paradigm for Child Protection – Jane Waldfogel FOUR COMMENTARIES: How We Can Better Protect Children from Abuse and Neglect – Douglas J. Besharov, Marcia Robinson Lowry, Leroy H. Pelton, and Michael W. Weber CHILD INDICATORS: Dental Health – Eugene M. Lewit and Nancy Kerrebrock A Selected Bibliography