Background: Child abuse and neglect bring lots of undesirable consequences for the future of children and societies with it. It is expected that health service providers have sufficient knowledge about that subject in order to determine abuse and neglect. Materials and methods: In this study, a 67-item scale with a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.92 was used. A score of more than 3 on the scale meant that the score was at a sufficient level. The universe of this descriptive study is health professionals working in 512 family health units in Mersin, Türkiye. Interviews were conducted with 97.26% (n = 249) of family physicians and 98.04% (n = 251) of family health workers working in the 256 units included in the sample. Results: Since the overall scale score of the study group was above 3, it (3.77 ± 0.36) was determined that the average score of the participants was sufficient. 46.2% (n = 231) of the group did not receive training on child neglect and abuse during their education, and 45.2% (n = 226) during their work. 95.8% stated that they paid attention to signs of abuse and neglect in children brought for examination and follow-up, while 83.4% stated that they had not encountered any cases in the last year. 42% (n = 210) of the group thought that the relevant authorities would not take the necessary action even if they observed signs of child neglect and abuse, while 37.4% (n = 187) stated that they did not know when and how to report. Conclusions: Although the findings of the study suggest that the group’s level of knowledge is sufficient, it is of great importance to increase their knowledge about reporting processes and to encourage them in this regard.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine family physicians’ attitudes, behaviors, and levels of knowledge about child abuse and neglect (CAaN) and examine changes through in-service training provided by academics who have studies on the subject.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional and intervention-type study was conducted between September and December 2017 with the required permissions taken. All family physicians working in 116 family medicine units in family health centers in Niğde province were included in the study. It was conducted in two stages, using survey forms before and after the education given to the participants. The study was completed with 96 family physicians.Results: The mean age of the physicians participating in the study was 40.2 ± 7.84 years. Thirty-five (36.5%) were female, 85 (88.5%) were married, and 75 (78.1%) had children. They have been practicing medicine for 15.1 ± 7.81 years, and 90 (93.8%) are general practitioners. Eighty-eight (91.7%) expressed that they give special importance to signs of neglect and abuse in children brought in for examination. Thirty-one (32.3%) stated that they have encountered signs of neglect and/ or abuse in children during their professional lives, and 8 (8.3%) have encountered signs of abuse and/or neglect in the last year. Fifty-five (57.3%) received training on CAaN during their education at medical school, and 72 (75.0%) received in-service training on CAaN after they started working as physicians. Eighty-two (85.4%) stated that if training were to be organized on CAaN, would want to attend to receive information on the subject and increase/ renew their knowledge, and 88 (91.7%) stated that they would like to be informed about the results of the study. The changes in the scale subcategories’ mean scores and the general mean scores of the scale in the pre-test administered before the training and the post-test administered after the training show that the participants had a development between the two applications to have sufficient knowledge about the subject with the training, statistically significantly (p < 0.05).Conclusion: In-service training given to family physicians has positive effects on the detection of CAaN. Awareness and knowledge levels should be maintained with regular in-service trainings.