Parents may need a physician's help, too, for physical problems, mental distress, depression, alcohol abuse, etc. Concerned friends, relatives, visiting nurses, homemakers, social workers often are family and life-savers. Most abuse incidents are triggered by a crisis in the parent's life that must be resolved to ease overwhelming tensions. This is a must for children and parents. Because abuse develops over a long time, it requires long term professional treatment.
Permanent separation is a last resort.
You have a moral, and in some cases, a legal responsibility to see that child abuse is reported to the people who can help. By law, you cannot be prosecuted for doing so in good faith. Often an abusive parent needs someone to talk to for advice and support. People who must report child abuse, often referred to as Mandated Reporters, vary from state to state - usually they include physicians, dentists, police, school counselors, teachers, nurses, etc. All children have the right to grow up in a safe environment.