Conflicts in the world's trouble spots can seem far away. But for professionals working with asylum-seeking children, the consequences are a daily reality. In the year to September 2007, 885 unaccompanied children from Afghanistan applied for asylum in England, along with 150 from Iraq and 16 from Sudan. In total, about 3,000 young people arrive in the UK each year, putting massive pressure on the professionals who care for them. In November, nine councils that provide services for young...