A landmark collection of clinical reports and observations, Infants Without Families brings Anna Freud’s compassionate clarity to the urgent work of caring for the youngest and most vulnerable. Compiled from the Hampstead Nurseries, these case studies document the emotional, social, and developmental needs of infants separated from their families during wartime, and the therapeutic practices developed to meet those needs.
Through careful description and reflective analysis, Freud and her collaborators reveal how attachment, loss, and the nursery environment shape early personality. Readers will find vivid clinical vignettes, practical interventions, and a humane framework for understanding how caregiving, routine, and emotional containment can restore continuity to disrupted lives.
Essential for clinicians, students, and anyone concerned with child welfare, this volume combines rigorous observation with deep empathy, offering both a historical record and enduring lessons about resilience, relationship, and the ethical responsibilities of those who care for children without families.