This paper describes how the author set up a child psychotherapy service within a Social Services Department to provide support for clients and workers. The model of work employed is based on the application of psychoanalytic ideas. Aspects of the service developed are outlined including the range and type of clinical work and consultation undertaken. The particular focus of this paper is how the difficulties of the client group can infect the workers. There is a description of a yearlong course based on the Tavistock child psychotherapy model which has been run for social services staff. This course has been designed to help workers make sense of and cope with the extremely painful situations which confront them when working with a severely deprived client population.