Community-Based Child Maltreatment Prevention: A Scoping Review

Child maltreatment is a prevalent and enduring public health problem with multilevel causes, demanding equally multilevel solutions. This scoping review examines how community-based approaches have been used to prevent child maltreatment and assesses their compatibility with the public health model. Six databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed, JSTOR, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global) were searched from inception to September 2025, and 62 programs described in 87 studies met inclusion criteria. Data were extracted and analyzed using quantitative content analysis. Results showed that the programs varied widely in design and delivery. Most targeted both universal community members and at-risk families, offered services at individual, familial, and neighborhood levels, and involved diverse service providers, including professionals from multiple sectors, volunteers, and grassroots organizations. Guiding principles emphasized non-stigmatization and community participation, though ecological and public health frameworks were less frequently explicit. Compared to intervention design, implementation strategies were less systematically reported. Programs spanned all three prevention levels, and cross-level commonalities and differences were identified. Evaluation designs varied widely: 11% used randomized controlled trials, 27% quasi-experimental designs, and 16% lacked formal evaluation; only one-third assessed child maltreatment directly, while most used proximal outcomes. To conclude, community-based approaches align well with the public health model and reaffirm the importance of collective responsibility in preventing child maltreatment. However, gaps in program design, implementation, and evaluation remain. Future efforts may benefit from use of stronger evaluation designs, clearer articulation of theories of change, and systematic documentation of implementation processes.