Preventing child abuse is an endeavor that requires equal parts of caring, optimism, and pragmatism. Drawing on the experiences of more than 100 child abuse prevention projects, this field-tested manual integrates the abstract principles of program development and prevention with the real world experiences and challenges faced by prevention projects on a daily basis. The work is organized into seven chapters, a toolbox, and appendixes. Chapters are: (1) "Child Abuse and Its Prevention: An Overview"; (2) "Cultural Competence: Communicating Effectively"; (3) "Determining Community Needs"; (4) "Designing a Child Abuse Prevention Project"; (5) "Project Funding"; (6) "Implementing a Project"; and (7) "Project Evaluation." The "Project Toolbox" includes: (1) "Structured Group Techniques"; (2) "Needs Assessment: Written Reports"; (3) "Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Surveys"; (4) "Using Community Leaders as Resources"; (5) "Developing Objectives and Clear Statements of Need"; (6) "Working with Volunteers"; (7) "Training"; and (8) "Public Relations Tools for Prevention Projects." Appendixes are: (1) "Abuse Indicators"; (2) "Federal Resources for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Activities"; (3) "National Organizations and Information Resources"; (4) "Resources for Statistics"; (5) "Resource Materials"; and (6) "Sample Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Policy for Prevention Program Staff." (EMK)