acceptable. The long-term effects of child abuse or neglect are well established. The treatment programs that have been developed by researchers mainly deal with the abusers. Knowing these things gives us as social workers a place to start when dealing with child abuse and neglect. The first step to eliminating this problem is to establish standard operationalized definitions for the different types of child abuse and neglect. Once we have all of the researchers working with the same definitions more of the characteristics of abuse and neglect will surface giving us a better understanding of it. Standard definitions would also allow researchers to develop treatment programs for victims because they would finally be able to recognize victims of different types of abuse. Once the type of abuse is known it is easier to place a child in the appropriate treatment programs. My plan calls for a pretty major assumption. The assumption being that every child is abused or neglected. I am not saying that every child is abused or neglected, but if we operate under that assumption we can develop universal treatment programs that will reach those who normally wouldn't be identified as being abused. This does not mean that agencies like child protective services should be eliminated. In fact, I believe that agencies such as child protective services should be expanded. Universal treatment is not going to stop an abuser from hitting his/her child, so it is important that there still be a safeguard to insure that no child has to stay in an abusive situation. Rather, the universal treatment programs would be meant to educate the young, and act as a preventative measure against child abuse and neglect. Most researchers would agree that the only way to insure that all the effects of child abuse and neglect are treated and cured is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Universal treatment programs would be implemented in schools an...
