Prepared as a tool for those who work with Mexican American migrants, this manual is based upon documents and verbal narrations provided by persons involved in the Texas Migrant Council's Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Project (caseworkers and employers of migrants in Texas and in northern "user" states, Mexican American migrants, child neglectors, and child abusers). Included are an index, 12 figures, 7 sections, a summary by professional consultants, reference material, recommended readings, and 4 detailed appendices. The first section briefly describes the project and the changes in its emphasis over the three-year period. The second section deals with demographic and cultural characteristics of Mexican Americans in the project (10 counties in south Texas). Following a description of Maslow's need hierarchy as a framework, each remaining section gives information about child abuse-neglect among the migrants in relation to five categories of need: (1) physiological; (2) safety; (3) social; (4) personal esteem; and (5) self-actualization. Major components in each category address situational and cultural aspects, the relevance of these aspects among the migrants, and some implications for assessment and assistance. (AN)