ABSTRACT
The experience of subjection to neglect, domestic violence and parents' substance misuse is extremely traumatic for children. Degli-Esposti et al. find neglect continuing to be the most common reason for children being subject of child protection. The traumatic impact of neglect came to attention with the publication of research on brain scans of Romanian institution children, deprived of touch and toys, and often diseased. Sexual abuse is damaging to the child's developing brain. Childhood Sexual Abuse includes Child Sexual Exploitation in recognition that the capacity to give informed consent to sex is manipulated and undermined. The story suggests ways of helping children who have memory problems to recognise consequences, avert disaster and feel motivated to improve their coping skills. Children, who have been taken away from their birth family because of neglect and abuse, are often highly anxious about the move to a new school.
