Preventing child abuse risk factors: A study of the ease of French professionals working in early prevention

Research on child abuse prevention has been limited for the last forty years to the experimental field. While we know how home visiting interventions can help limit situations of child abuse, we do not know how these results can be replicated in routine care situations. The objective of this study was to identify, in French public services, how prevention professionals approach child abuse risk factors with families, and with what degree of ease. The results show that, beyond a form of versatility that allows them to discuss a wide range of topics with families, prevention workers are very uncomfortable dealing with topics of family intimacy, psychopathology, or child abuse. The political implications are discussed.