ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the plight of children in foster, kinship and adoptive families, who have lost the stories that ensure a sense of identity gained from knowing who they are and where they came from. It also focuses on the child’s experience of trauma, neglect and abuse. The stories address topics of neglect, verbal and sexual abuse, memory problems, foetal alcohol effect, school phobia and hiding. The book discusses the legacy of mental illness illustrates the predicaments of children and young people exposed to domestic violence, living with mentally ill parents, suffering post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem and showing self-harming behaviour such as eating disorder. It begins with reflection on the anxiety-inducing effects of the intimidation aroused in instances of racism, homophobia and sexism.
