This article reviews the Australian evidence concerning interventions in early childhood aimed at promoting children’s psychological well-being and preventing social and psychological dysfunction in later life. Two kinds of research are surveyed. One is the Australian social science literature that has emerged in the last twenty years from five major research programs.

The most widely recognised approach to child abuse prevention is a model that draws together the concepts surrounding primary, secondary and tertiary intervention. Primary prevention refers to stopping abuse before it starts by targeting members of the community through broad-based programs directed at populations of people. Secondary prevention programs are aimed at early intervention in...