A conceptual approach to child maltreatment.

Philosophical questions are critical to a broader conceptualization of parenting and childhood maltreatment, whether it is neglect or abuse, because they allow a reconsideration of established institutional models and the constitution of alternative approaches. Examining five areas where philosophical discussion may change the conceptual approach of practitioners--epistemology, certainty, causality, ethics and aesthetics--this paper attempts to provide an agenda for future research and experimentation.