The needs of the abused child in the community.

The development of community awareness of child abuse has followed medical awareness and is specifically concerned with prevention and early intervention. Contact between community services and 304 infants from a birth cohort in a poor socio-economic status, multi-ethnic urban municipality was documented to investigate how these services could provide effective community approaches to the problem. While perinatal and medical services provided fragmented care, the Maternal and Child Health Service was the only agency to contact all families, including those of the 21 abused or "at risk" infants. It is suggested that such local universal services should form the basis of a community approach to the needs of the abused or "at risk" child.