The child welfare system in Germany has been described as family service-oriented because families in need are entitled to request family support services. If there is any form of child maltreatment, there may be some kind of mandatory state intervention to protect the child. Using trends in the number of children affected by maltreatment, the…

Ongoing traumatising life events can often cause a person to the have physical or emotional characteristics of one who is mentally disabled or autistic, making it easy to form a wrong first impression. This article presents the story of one such person in a Positive Peer Culture program in a group treatment facility in Germany. In Positive Peer…

The Child Protection Center in Lubeck (Germany) offers a nonpunitive, self-help approach to prevent child abuse by encouraging families to determine their own needs. Over half of families served over a two-year period were self-reported and almost one-fifth received help to prevent violence against children before the occurrence of child abuse or…

Home-Start is an international organization in which volunteers offer regular support, friendship, and practical help to young families under stress in their own homes in order to prevent family crisis and breakdown. It is available to any family with at least one child under 5 years of age. This book presents a snapshot of the day-to-day…