Data on the process and impact of introducing play therapy in children's hospitals in England and Wales are presented in this book. The effects of the introduction of play therapy on children's behaviors in children's wards and on the relationships between parents, doctors, nurses, ancillary staff, and playleaders are described. The responsiveness of the hospital as an organization to change and reform is analyzed in terms of the power relations and value orientations among the participants at the ward level. The problems caused for children by the lack of information, meaninglessness and ambiguity about their situations are presented through observational data which reveal a predominantly laissez-faire system of authority in wards. Comparative studies of hospitals and social organizations are discussed and it is suggested that the view of hospitals as complex social organizations and children as social actors in these organizations facilitates explanation of why children are unhappy in hospitals and why attempts to remedy the situation are difficult and slow to put into practice. (JMB)