1. Screen for child maltreatment risk factors, including parental depression,  substance abuse, intimate partner violence, parental stress, harsh punishment,  and food insecurity

2. Identify family protective factors (e.g. social support, self-efficacy, parenting  competence)

3. Provide anticipatory guidance about challenging behaviors and developmental  issues that may increase the risk for maltreatment (e.g. infant crying, toilet  training)

4. Ask parents about discipline and help them replace corporal punishment with  more effective and less harmful strategies

5. Discuss sexual development and behavior with parents. Help parents and  children become more skilled in communication about sexuality and sexual  abuse (see Table 4)

6. Become knowledgeable about the availability and effectiveness of local  community-based resources. Encourage families to use your expertise to identify  services that meet their needs.

7. Advocate for implementation and sustaining of community-based services to help  families prevent maltreatment.

8. Advocate for implementation and sustaining of federal, state, and local programs  that ameliorate underlying maltreatment risk factors (e.g. poverty, substance  abuse, depression and other mental health disorders)