pt. 1. Understanding Child Abuse. 1. Children: People or chattels? 2. A twentieth-century childhood. 3. What is child abuse and neglect? 4. Families and violence. 5. Why does abuse occur? 6. Researching child abuse. 7. Researching physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. 8. Researching sexual and ritualistic abuse -- pt. 2. Identifying and Helping Abused Children. 9. It doesn't happen here: schools and child protection. 10. The listening school: acknowledging and supporting abused children. 11. What happens next? 12. Proactive work in schools. 13. Living with uncertainty: teachers thinking and talking. 14. Working together for children. 15. Building a more caring society.