Consisting of three units, the course model aims to prepare students to address the problem of abuse and/or neglect in the Mexican American community. Unit one focuses on the two major parts of the informal helping system in the Mexican American community, the barrio and the family. Unit two concentrates on the traditional child welfare system and the self-help formal and informal systems. The third unit covers the intervention process used in addressing a family's needs, where there is a potential or verified case of abuse/or neglect. Each unit includes a content outline, unit goal and objectives, list of readings, assessment procedure, classroom and class-related activities, and unit bibliography. Examples of a structured essay, a short essay, and an assignment involving the preparation of a taped student interview are provided. Additional resource materials include three 10-item selected annotated bibliographies; brief list of selected children's health services; glossary of selected legal terms in child abuse and neglect cases; tentative plan for implementation of course content; and information on the 1977 United States Spanish origin population, the struggles of migratory workers, the family, significance of the International Year of the Child to Mexican Americans, and how to define child abuse and neglect. (NQA)