[ DISPLAYING ABSTRACT ]

Beyond the sensational headlines about the national epidemic of child sexual abuse, the difficult, practical questions remain: What can communities do to stop it? How can it best be prevented and treated? When experts talk about the most effective, innovative programs in the nation, they speak admiringly of the one in this city of 160,000 in Pierce County. Its strength lies in its comprehensiveness. Prevention classes are given to all public-school children from Head Start to high-school age. Even 4-year- olds learn to memorize the police phone number, 593-4911. Teachers are trained to deal with sexual abuse in a therapeutic way. The young victims are given free treatment. So are their families. Offenders, too, are offered treatment, and in cases of incest, are treated in couples' groups with their wives.