The host parents of the children, once they made it to Great Britain, were able to choose the children they let into their family (Göpfert). This caused the result of younger girls being accepted into new homes before anyone else. Older boys were the most disadvantaged when it came to this since they were usually the last to be chosen. This caused an atmosphere that was said to like a “cattlemarket” and was eventually changed by matching the children to a foster home (Göpfert).
Some of the children were lucky enough to stay with other relatives or family friends who were already in Great Britain (Sharples). This group was the luckiest and suffered the least. However, others were not so lucky. For example, Bertha Leverton and her brother were at the age were they could work (Sharples). This caused them to be exploited by their new aunt and uncle. They were forced to work and then their wages were taken away from them. Bertha was constantly in fear that her younger sister might be abused by their uncle (Sharples).
The children often suffered from psychological problems. In 1985, there was even a study done. They questioned around 300 children and the results listed were; depression, relationship issues, insecurity, fear of abandonment, restlessness, and mistrust of their surroundings (Göpfert). This study also showed the difference between women and men. For example, the women were less happy and even satisfied with their lives later on. They also felt more disadvantaged than men when it came to careers (Göpfert). One of the main reasoning’s for this is because the men had the chance to fight in the British armed forces, which allowed them to gain respect despite their backgrounds.
Other psychological issues included homesickness and loneliness. Some of the foster families did not take the time to understand what the children had just gone through. The foster parents just expected the children to be grateful (Sharples). The children experiences with the anti-Semitic violence and the discrimination, and the fact that had been taken to a new place, also caused many of the children’s childhood’s to come to a quick end (Sharples). For example, older girls took up the mother role for the younger girls and boys, whether the younger children are younger siblings, or in some extreme cases, just babies being pushed into their arms by Jewish women on the railway (Sharples). Many of these children felt responsible to get their families out of Germany. Some would even go as far as trying to gain sponsors for their families by becoming servants (Sharples).
Many of the children were religious in their Jewish ways. The RCM, or Refugee Children’s Movement, who took care of the children, attempted their best to find Jewish families with similar beliefs (Göpfert). However, despite this, some host families tried to convert the children. There were also other Christian families who took in children that attempted to allow the children to keep their religion. They let the children go to Jewish religious meetings. Some even let the children have kosher, or at the very least, vegetarian foods (Göpfert). This resulted in not only host parents wanting a different child, but the children wanting different parents.
These events eventually led to the children having insecurity issues. The children, who had just left their home and went to a new country, soon established problems with adapting to new environments (Göpfert). This also caused problems with the children being able to maintain relationships with people, as well. There would always be the fear that they would have to leave (Göpfert). They had no idea how long they would stay where they were at.