~STRACT' Traditional means of conceptualizing the psychosocial impact of AIDS have emphasized infected individuals out of their natural context. AIDS occurs not simply within hospitals but within fhmi/ies. A secondary morbidity occurs within a family system when one of its members is infected, Clinical experience suggests tl~at non-infected children within families with AIDS are at significant risk for poor developmental outcomes as a consequence of the skewing of familial resources~ Children living in fhmilies who have a member infhcted by HIV are impacted by issues such as stigma, isolation, abandonment and death. This article explores the epidemiology of this child population and risk factors that render them vulnerahle~ Social workers are in a unique position to identif~ and serve these children in such diverse settings as schools welfare agencies, and hospitals. Suggested interventions based on the developmental stage of the chilcl are discussed as are implications for policy forn~ation and program development.The epidemic of HIV infection* continues to inundate the many countries with personal and social suffering, Current estimates indicate there are over 1 million men, women and children infected with HIV, Ms.

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