A population approach to the prevention of child maltreatment: rationale and implications for research, policy and practice

Abuse and neglect of children in the home marks the extreme end of a continuum of family conditions undermining child wellbeing. Taking this into account, the prevention of child maltreatment rightfully is focused on optimising the condition - across the entire population - that promote healthy family relationships and support child development. Here we outline how a population approach to evidence-based parenting support can contribute to the prevention of child maltreatment by reducing the family-related risk factors associated not only with abuse and neglect but also with a broader array of adverse childhood outcomes. We present evidence about the scale of child maltreatment, how the current siloed approaches miss opportunities to reach the necessary audiences, and how the challenges to achieving this can be overcome.