This casebook analyzes actions and decisions that have occurred in actual child maltreatment cases. Materials vividly describe recognized forms of maltreatment as well as the key contexts relating to them, such as court proceedings, foster care, families facing adversity, and schools. Throughout, closely edited cases and extensive explanatory notes help readers understand each case's significance and relationship to other litigation and laws. Materials also reference social science evidence to evaluate how society, researchers, and the law conceptualize and respond to child maltreatment. This comprehensive resource takes a pragmatic view of the law as the dominant tool for combating child maltreatment. Child Maltreatment Law first explores how the legal system defines what constitutes the major forms of maltreatment and risks of harm deemed worthy of state intervention. It then details the nature of families deemed problematic and how the state directly intervenes in families to address allegations of maltreatment. Chapters then focus on the complexities of how court proceedings and broad legal mandates seek to protect children's rights and safety as well as protect the rights of those entrusted with their care.

The last chapters address the challenges of legal reform efforts seeking to stop and prevent child maltreatment, including laws that both directly and indirectly shape the extent to which families protect children. These chapters also complement legal analyses with what empirical research reveals about the law's efforts. The appendices assist those unfamiliar with legal cases, legal terminology, the legal system, and the place of social sciences in law. Together, the materials provide a firm foundation for understanding key social science findings, policy directions, and practices in child maltreatment law.