How do disturbed children see the world? How can we understand their difficulties? Most children have secret worlds but for some these worlds contain secrets that are both permanent and damaging. Originally published in 1992, this moving account of the secret lives of such vulnerable and disturbed children will enable professionals working with these children to find out what is going on in their minds – what they are thinking, what they are feeling, why they behave as they do. The contributors, all experts in their field at the time, show how vulnerable children can be assessed and how they can be helped most effectively.