“Today the majority of children moving from foster homes into adoption have been removed from their families of origin because of abuse, neglect or both. Many have suffered a particularly damaging form of abuse—both psychologically and physically—that of sexual abuse. This shift over the decades from healthy infants to older, handicapped, and traumatized children has necessitated greater awareness of the serious and pervasive effects that separation, loss, neglect, and abuse have upon developing children. This is an awareness that often does not come easily to adults working with children, since it is hard to accept the fact that others can so profoundly hurt children and the children’s suffering is so intense.”