A protocol for assessing competence to parent a newborn.

Abuse of infants in the first year of life is a common phenomenon in pediatric wards. Many of these abuses result from chronic psychologic or cognitive deficits in the mother that could be identified before she takes her newborn home from the hospital. Research has shown that assessment of competence to parent during the perinatal period can identify a large proportion of parents whose babies will be abused. Thus early identification of risk and appropriate intervention may help avert child abuse in some cases. This article presents a protocol for evaluating the ability of new mothers to care for their newborns. Relevant factors include parents' history, current functioning, knowledge about infant care, capacity to learn, and support system. Suggestions about how to integrate the various pieces of data are also provided. Diagnoses and recommended dispositions of 97 cases referred to the author for evaluation are also included, along with guidelines for writing reports to juvenile authorities.