Child abuse and neglect represents a serious problem in California; 664,000 incidents were reported and about 90,000 children were in foster care in 1994, and the number of children served by California's child welfare system increased by 27 percent between 1987 and 1995. In covering the subject of child abuse and neglect, the author defines the problem and describes and assesses the child welfare system in California. Trends associated with and characteristics of child abuse and neglect in California are reviewed, and data on the extent of child abuse and neglect are provided. The focus is on what happens and how the child welfare system responds when child abuse is reported, the juvenile dependency process, child abuse reporting, child abuse victims and perpetrators, physical abuse, sexual abuse, law enforcement involvement in child abuse cases, common stress factors in abusive households, counseling and crisis intervention, foster care, and costs of child abuse and neglect. 3 tables and 32 figures.