ABSTRACT
In arranging for a new placement, it is possible to have a planned transition that can minimize the trauma of separation and loss and facilitate attachment to the child's new adoptive family. At the time of consummation, the family was quite upset about the child's behaviors but agreed to the consummation, feeling it was best for the child. T., a physically and sexually abused seven-year-old, was removed from his birthfamily and was placed in adoption at the age of nine. The majority of the children in the sample had been abused, and all had suffered the initial loss of being separated from their biological families. Child abuse literature suggests that children who have been abused and neglected have had their basic sense of security shaken. Children are often placed in foster families where they may develop relationships and trust, but typically must be moved again.
