The publication of the Curtis Report, and the passing into law of the Children Act 1908, were outstanding landmarks in the history of social welfare in Great Britain. The neglect of the educational, social, physical and spiritual welfare of children in the late eighteenth and much of the nineteenth century, and their exploitation in the sudden expansion of industrial 'output, is a shameful passage in the history of civilisation. The activities of enlightened men and women in the nineteenth century have slowly moulded public opinion towards a greater concern for the welfare of children, though the slowness of this process is perhaps illustrated by the fact that the death penalty for children was not erased from the Statute Book until 1908. The Children Act of 1948 has made possible much greater supervision of children who lack a parent's love and guardianship, and has made possible better treatment of children who have suffered a disruption of their family life. However, it is one thing to introduce legislation which makes possible better care and treatment; it is quite another to know what that better care might be. The full intention and spirit of the Act cannot at present be realised, because too little is known of the factors involved the child's development in the family, or the effects of deprivation of family life. Wise action demands knowledge, and knowledge here is by no means adequate. This study, it is hoped, may add something to this knowledge, and is undertaken as a service to those children that might benefit from a greater understanding of their problems It surveys what we know at present about the psychology of children who lack +he normal love and care of parents in family life. It examines the facts available on psychological development within the family structure, and endeavours to co-ordinate existing knowledge on these aspects of child development with information on the effects of a lack of family life.