A small light blue-green hardback book of 192 pages, divided into sixteen chapters, nearly all with titles indicating re-writings of talks or articles printed in magazines such as the Barnardo Staff Forum.

The author, having previously worked in the education field and published books on sex education in schools, was a senior member of the staff of Dr. Barnardo's Homes at the time of this publication.

The introduction, by Dr. Eustace Chesser, indicates that institutional care of children is under criticism, and it is necessary for their current carers to acknowlege in their approach the pyschological and parental disturbances preceding their admission to care, and he supports the writer as bringing wisdom and humour to the different subjects. The preface, by the author, also is written from the viewpoint of scientific and pyschological knowledge applied with a wider wisdom.

There follows a series of topics, from corporal punishment to the use of library books, and including abscondment, and censoring children's mail, which indicate the range of concerns in institutional child care in Barnardo's during the 1950's. The application of psychological knowledge and ethical standards, to give to both children and staff a clinical and practical approach, from a writer with a classical and humanitarian background, provides very readable advice.

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