THE PRECIPITATING EVENT FOR THIS BRITISH STUDY WAS THE ADMISSION OF A 9-MONTH-OLD BABY TO THE HOSPITAL AS THE RESULT OF SEVERE ABUSE BY THE FATHER. THIS BABY WAS THE FOURTH GENERATION OF A FAMILY WHICH HAD ABSORBED A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF TIME AND WELFARE AID. CASE FILES WERE SEARCHED TO BUILD A MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILY PROFILE. A GENEOLOGICAL TABLE GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THIS FAMILY WHILE AN ACCOMPANYING DATA TABLE DESCRIBES THE OUTCOME OF EACH INDIVIDUAL. THE GRANDPARENTS WERE BOTH SOCIAL AGENCY CLIENTS, THE GRANDFATHER SUFFERING FROM BRAIN DAMAGE AND ALCOHOLISM AND THE GRANDMOTHER FROM PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR. OF THEIR 11 CHILDREN, 8 SHOWED SEVERE PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE. THE THREE WHO DEVELOPED NORMALLY CHOSE SOCIALLY ADEQUATE SPOUSES AND LEFT THE WELFARE SYSTEM. THE REMAINING EIGHT SELECTED SPOUSES WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SOCIAL PATHOLOGY AND AMONG THEM REQUIRED THE HELP OF NUMEROUS SOCIAL WORKERS, DOCTORS, AND VOLUNTEERS. OF THE 29 CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, 17 HAD A TOTAL OF 25-200 'HELPERS' AND 13 HAD BEEN HOUSED IN 5 OR MORE INSTITUTIONS. OF THE 14 SPOUSES, 6 HAD 25-100 'HELPERS' AND 5 HAD BEEN IN 5 OR MORE INSTITUTIONS. BY THE THIRD GENERATION THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS HAD BECOME SEVERE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT LEAVING A BATTERED OR NEGLECTED CHILD IN THE HOME IS NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST COURSE. REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)