The Evolution of U.S. Child-Protection Services, with Emphasis on the Experience of New York and Texas

Abstract

This thesis investigates the history of the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the United States from the colonial period until recent times. It also provides information on how selected other countries have dealt with child abuse, in particular Canada, Mexico, England, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany. This study highlights the development of the child-protective services in the United States and studies the states of New York and Texas as pertinent examples. It places the US experience into an international contexts and highlights differences in the way individual states have tackled the problem of child abuse and neglect historically.