Adoption and fostering Books

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Dazzling'' Fernanda Melchor''A brilliant debut'' Vogue''Bright and brimming with sisterhood. Overwhelmingly beautiful'' El CulturalA mother and her child embark on a canoe trip down the mighty Atrato River, deep in the thick Colombian jungle. They eat ripe mango and fresh fish, bathe in rainwater, meet curious passers-by. But uncertainties abound. As the small boat proceeds along the water, the mother''s anxiety grows, and, over time, she reveals the truth about how the little one really came into her life one hot morning.A slim, visceral novel, This Wound Full of Fish offers a journey not only through the murky waters of the river, but through a lush and brutal human life.Trade ReviewIn this dazzling and moving literary debut, Lorena Salazar takes us to the heart of the Colombian jungle and shows us, with an enveloping and addictive prose, sorority in its purest form and the brutal contrasts of human nature. * Fernanda Melchor, author of HURRICANE SEASON *A novel of breathtaking landscapes and an accurate portrait of mothers' fears, and of violence, always latent, like a wild beast lurking in the dark * Pilar Quintana, author of THE BITCH *A brilliant debut novel * Vogue *Remarkable . . . Salazar Masso has managed to create a work of fiction that is both compelling and painful. A book that will leave you breathless. * Morning Star *

Read more less

Book SynopsisKrish Kandiah wants us all to take seriously Jesus's call to 'suffer the little children' by engaging with the needs of the many thousands of children up and down the country who are in care and whom the church could and should be helping.Krish and his wife Miriam have adopted and fostered children themselves and their experience - and that of the many others in this book - is very different from the popular myth which suggests social services seek to prevent Christians from getting involved. Krish argues that whatever the state's stance may be, it is a part of our calling as God's church to get involved where it's hardest, and to help these children out of the tough realities they find themselves in.Filled with stories from people who have adopted or were adopted themselves, alongside practical advice on how it all works and the challenges that will come, this book makes a compelling case that the church can and must make a difference in these children's lives, and asks us all to consider our response.Trade ReviewKrish and Miriam Kandiah write from a deep well of experience as they explore the landscape of adoption and fostering in today's culture. In this book they provide practical models to help anyone who has a vision to offer homes to some of the most vulnerable in our society. * Nicky Gumbel *Church of England pick of week * The Church of England *The more I read this book, the more I feel stirred to do my part... This book is an inspiration for the whole church -- RG * Christianity *Krish writes for Christian Today: Five actions which will change the lives of children in care * Christian Today *Krish writes for Christian Today: Five actions which will change the lives of children in care * Christian Today *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn NPR Best Book of 2022 and Winner of a Nautilus Silver Book Award"Stirring and unforgettable-a breathtaking adoption saga like no other." -Robert Kolker, New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road and Lost GirlsIt was 1998 in Nha Trang, Vi?t Nam, and Liên struggled to care for her newborn twin girls. Hà was taken in by Liên's sister, and she grew up in a rural village with her aunt, going to school and playing outside with the neighbors. They had sporadic electricity and frequent monsoons. Hà's twin sister, Loan, was adopted by a wealthy, white American family who renamed her Isabella. Isabella grew up in the suburbs of Chicago with a nonbiological sister, Olivia, also adopted from Vi?t Nam. Isabella and Olivia attended a predominantly white Catholic school, played soccer, and prepared for college.But when Isabella's adoptive mother learned of her biological twin back in Vi?t Nam, all of their lives changed forever. Award-winning journalist Erika Hayasaki spent years and hundreds of hours interviewing each of the birth and adoptive family members. She brings the girls' experiences to life on the page, told from their own perspectives, challenging conceptions about adoption and what it means to give a child a good life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA burgeoning evidence base supports that arts, play and other creative therapies have potential to help children in foster care, kinship care or adoptive families to recover from complex trauma. Written by contributors working at the cutting edge of delivering effective therapeutic interventions, this innovative book describes models for working with children in foster care, kinship care or adoption. Covering how to assess needs and contextual considerations for working with children and families, this book presents a range of creative therapeutic approaches spanning art psychotherapy, music therapy and dance therapy. It emphasizes the necessity of working with caregivers and other significant adults, as well as the child, to facilitate recovery. The theoretical foundations of attachment, developmental psychology and neurobiology are embedded in each chapter showing how they underpin each of the recommended creative therapies. This book will be suitable for professionals directly employing creative approaches in their practice, such as arts therapists and play therapists, as well as those working with children who are interested in creative alternate approaches, such as psychologists, counsellors, therapists and social workers.Trade ReviewIn their excellent book, Anthea Hendry and Joy Hasler bring together a range of talented practitioners who explain and explore the dysregulating effects that developmental trauma can have on mind, body and brain, and what might be done to support developmentally traumatised children and their carers. Supported by vivid case examples, we see how the creative arts are themselves creatively used to great therapeutic effect to regulate bodies in distress, feelings in turmoil, and minds that are frightened and sad. -- David Howe, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, UEA, NorwichThis book is a welcome addition to all helping professionals and educators who work with children and families challenged by complex trauma. These experienced practitioners provide practical wisdom on not only creative approaches, but also the key elements involved in effective healing relationships and positive attachment. This contribution to trauma literature clearly emphasizes how and why collaborative, creative interventions that include family, school staff and therapists are essential to support reparation and recovery. -- Cathy A. Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT—Executive Director, Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute, Louisville, KY, USAAttachment theories are now well established as an evidence-based framework that supports client-centred approaches, and that have alerted us to the devastating impact of trauma on child development. It is therefore a real pleasure to recommend this informative and clearly laid-out book to any practitioner interested in helping children and families through the use of creative therapies. Although the focus is on complex trauma and helping children and families in foster care, kinship care and adoption, much of the book content will be relevant to gaining an understanding of how to approach other complex situations. The theoretical chapters in part 1 clearly explained some of the main concepts and enfolded really well as a series. In part 2, contributors' honesty and dedication to their clients shone through all the different chapters, which were very informative about real-life practice. The focus on education in part 3 was also welcome, as the incidence of serious trauma in any average classroom has risen dramatically. This is a well edited book that will be relevant to creative therapists, whether in training, newly qualified or experienced and is above all a good read. -- Dr Val Huet, Chief Executive Officer British Association of Art TherapistsThis is an important book. For people who already know as a matter of lived experience that childhood trauma can destroy lives this book will inspire hope and confidence in the capacity of the human spirit to recover. And for those who do not understand the impact of childhood adversity this book will enlighten and instruct through the depth of knowledge shared and the accessibility of the many stories illuminating the impact of trauma and recovery in everyday life. I hope that it will be read by many, and I am sure that those who do read it will treasure it. -- Kate Cairns, Director of KCAThis clear, concise cutting-edge collection of chapters by a wide range of skilled contributors demonstrates how insights from contemporary evidence-based research may be used to enable healing for traumatised children who are not able to live with their birth parents. Its relevance is far-reaching and makes it a 'must have' book for all who work with patients who struggle to overcome the effects of early relational trauma. -- Margaret Wilkinson, Training Analyst in the Society of Analytical Psychology; author, Coming into Mind. The mind-brain relationship: a Jungian clinical perspective, and Changing Minds in Therapy: emotion, attachment, trauma and neurobiologyThis is a brilliant book bringing together innovative creative therapies for adopted and fostered children and their families by specialists who have many years of experience of working with distressed or troubled children. If you are an adopter or foster carer you must use therapists who have both read this book and apply the principles. -- Helen Oakwater: Author of’ Bubble Wrapped Children: How Social Networking is transforming the Face of 21st Century AdoptionCreative Therapies for Complex Trauma is a very useful addition to the literature. It draws on the practice experience of an impressive range of therapists, and makes very effective use of case studies to exemplify and explore theoretical issues. Of use to both readers who are new to this are of work and to more experienced practitioners, it is certainly going to be on the reading list for my courses. -- Dr Kathy Evans, University of South WalesThis is one of the most useful and hopeful books I have read on the subject. It would be an informative read for anyone connected with an adopted family who is looking for an understanding of the types of therapy available, as well as for new and experienced therapists working with adopted children and their families. In fact, it is a useful book for any professional working with children. -- Susan Barr, Counsellor and Chair of the Bucks Family Network * BACP - Children, Young people & families *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. About the Editors. Contributors List. Introduction. Anthea Hendry, Art Psychotherapist and Joy Hasler, Catchpoint CIC. PART 1. MAPPING OUT THE TERRITORY. 1. Complex Trauma in Children: An Overview of Theoretical Developments. Franca Brenninkmeyer, Head of Child and Family Service, PAC-UK. 2. Creative Therapies for Complex Trauma: Theory into Practice. Anthea Hendry, Art Psychotherapist. 3. Putting Theory into Practice: Implications for Caregivers. Janet Smith, Adoption Support Practice Manager at Families for Children. PART 2: CLINICAL APPLICATION OF CREATIVE THERAPIES FOR COMPLEX TRAUMA. 4. How does Trauma Affect the whole family?: Assessment of the Effect of Trauma on Attachment relationships. Joy Hasler, Catchpoint CIC. 5. Beyond Words: Family Futures Neurophysiological Approach to Assessment and treatment of Traumatised Children. Jay Vaughan, Therapy Services Manager, Family Futures CIC and Alan Burnell, Manager, Family Futures CIC. 6. Dyadic Parent-Child Art Psychotherapy and Complex Trauma. Anthea Hendry, Art Psychotherapist and Elizabeth Taylor Buck, Research Fellow, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield. 7. Healing Rhythms: Music Therapy for Attachment and Trauma. Joy Hasler, Catchpoint CIC. 8. Making a Drama: Interview with a Dramatherapist who works with adoptive families. Molly Holland, Catchpoint CIC and Joy Hasler, Catchpoint CIC. 9. When Play Therapy is not Enough: Using EMDR in combination with Play Therapy for children with Complex Trauma. Renee Potegieter Marks, Consultant Therapist, Integrate Families. 10. 'Repetitive, rhythmic, relevant, relational, respectful and rewarding': Dance Movement Therapy in Attachment Work. Hannah Guy, Dance and Movement Therapist, Catchpoint CIC and Sue Topalian, Dance and Movement Therapist, Catchpoint CIC. PART 3: COMPLEX TRAUMA AND CREATIVE PRACTICE IN EDUCATION. 11. Adapting to Working in Schools with the Family Futures' Neurophysiological Approach. Marion Allen, Education Consultant, Family Futures CIC. 12. Rules, Relationships and Ripples: Therapy in a Specialist Residential School. Sarah Ayache, Head of Therapies and Art Psychotherapist, The William Henry Smiths School and Martin Gibson, Vice Principal, The William Henry Smiths School.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFoundations for Attachment Training Resource is a six-session programme to help parents and carers to nurture attachments with their child. It is designed specifically for those caring for children whose capacity to emotionally connect has been compromised as a result of attachment problems, trauma, and loss or separation. Informed by attachment theory and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), it consists of three core modules: * Understanding Challenges of Parenting * Therapeutic Parenting * Looking After SelfIt includes relevant theory and process notes for trainers, and a range of activities supported by electronic resources with downloadable activity sheets and handouts. This is a complete resource containing everything you need to run the sessions, and is perfect for any professionals involved in training foster carers, adoptive parents and kinship carers.Trade ReviewThe group programme developed by Kim Golding offers parents and carers a bridge between learning the principles of attachment and how such attachment is experienced. A wonderful resource. -- Dr Joe Tucci, CEO, Australian Childhood FoundationIn six sessions, knowledge about trauma, attachment and neurobiology is made easy to understand through practice-based exercises and handouts. This resource is highly recommended. -- Julie Hudson, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological SocietyFoundations for Attachment adeptly explores both the inner lives of these children, and provides resources for the challenges of parenting. Certain to be welcomed by practitioners, its accessible style will enlighten attachment-focused parents too. -- Ben Monaghan, Managing Director, Compass Seminars AustraliaKim Golding has eloquently distilled the essential elements of attuned parenting for children with histories of maltreatment for both facilitator and participant alike, strengthened by a body of evidence from well-thought-out pilot work. -- Dr Ben Gurney-Smith, Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Adoptionplus & Research Coordinator UK for DDP InstituteTable of ContentsIntroduction to Beginning Attachments. Module One: Understanding Challenges of Parenting. Session One: Blocked Relationships. Session Two: Hiding and Miscuing. Module Two: Therapeutic Parenting. Session One: Building Connections. Session Two: Managing Behaviour. Module Three: Looking After Self. Session One: Understanding Attachment History. Session Two: Blocked Care. References and Reading List.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAssessing prospective adoptive parents, foster carers, kinship carers and special guardians is an extremely complex task, and one that happens within a pressurized time frame.Currently, assessments draw substantially on interviews, which can generate a lot of information but little analysis to enable professionals to establish a meaningful understanding of parenting capacity. Children with histories of trauma, loss and hurt need to join families in which parents exhibit the ability to be good at relationships, are able to manage their own stress and bond with the child in their care. Now fully updated and expanded to cover the assessment of kinship carers and special guardians, this book combines the latest findings from neuroscience with research on what makes good assessments and provides guidance and tools for making thorough, analytical and effective assessments. With contributions from leading experts including Dan Hughes, Jonathan Baylin, Kim Golding and Julie Selwyn, it will provide you with the information you need to ensure the best possible chance of placement success.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction, Joanne Alper, Adoptionplus. Chapter 2: Why are you frightened of being parented? Understanding developmental trauma, Kim S. Golding, Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust. Chapter 3: The home study and assessment of applicants: research evidence, Julie Selwyn, University of Bristol. Chapter 4: Adoptionplus: a new agency, a new approach, Joanne Alper, Adoptionplus. Chapter 5: Parenting well and staying well: understanding the qualities needed for parenting children with developmental trauma, Kim S. Golding and Ben Gurney-Smith, Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and Adoptionplus. Chapter 6: Understanding developmental trauma, parental attachments, caregiving and PACE, Dan Hughes, Quittie GlenCenter for Mental Health. Chapter 7: The parenting brain, John Baylin, Norman Broudy MD & Associates. Chapter 8: Assessing potential kinship placements, Joanne Alper and Ailsa Edwards, Adoptionplus and Children in Need Chapter 9: Reflective functioning and parenting, John Baylin, Norman Broudy MD & Associates. Chapter 10: Conclusion, David Howe, University of East Anglia.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat should you expect when you're expecting to foster? This book is a guide to taking the first critical steps of your fostering journey, explaining what fostering is, how to become a foster carer and what it takes to thrive.Combining invaluable advice from veteran foster carers, the expertise of the professionals who support them, and priceless experiences of foster children themselves, this book explains the fostering process step by step. It tackles all the questions that you've ever asked yourself about fostering: What is fostering really like? What are the challenges? What kind of difference could I make?Comprehensive and accessible, this is the companion for first-time fosterers or those considering foster care.Trade ReviewThis is an important and timely book, which sets out both the challenges and the achievements of foster carers' day-by-day work. -- The Rt. Hon. The Lord LamingThis beautiful quote will stay with me forever:"Always make sure they have a blanket when they leave. Don't wash it, as it needs to have a familiar smell to help them settle. Even our 16-year old took a blanket with her." -- Dr.h.c Jenny Molloy, Author, Adviser and Trainer for Looked After Children, Care Leavers Patron for The British Association of Social Workers EnglandThis is a great guide, packed full of information and insight about how best to navigate the world of fostering. -- Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for ChildrenIt's the book I wish I'd had when I was considering fostering and in my first few years. -- Maxine Taylor, Foster carerTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. So you want to be a foster carer?. 2. Becoming a foster carer. 3. How do children become fostered?. 4. What's it like to be a foster child?. 5. Your first placement. 6. Behaviour management. 7. Allegations, how to handle them and what to expect. 8. Managing contact. 9. Working with the professional network. 10. Special guardianship orders. 11. Well being. 12. Endings. 13. What difference does it make?. 14. Heroes of the state.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis new book from life work expert Joy Rees explains the value of effective and meaningful life work with children who are fostered and adopted, and how best to carry this out.This book will help social work professionals, foster carers and adopters to understand the many aspects of life work and to consider the important contributions they can all make to this task. Life work is about helping children to know and to understand their personal stories and the life experiences that have shaped them. Enabling children to reach their potential and achieve the best possible outcome is the common goal, and this is best achieved by using the collaborative approach to life work advocated in this bookTrade ReviewJoy Rees brings her practice wisdom, theoretical knowledge and field work experience to give a confidence to those helping children to make sense of their lives. -- Mac Heath, Head of Children and Family Services, West Berkshire CouncilYet again Joy Rees has demonstrated her gift of enabling practitioners to help children make sense of their often confusing and painful stories, explaining complex subjects and processes in clear, accessible language. -- Gillian Thrower, Developmental Trauma and Attachment TherapistLife Work with Children Who are Fostered or Adopted really challenges us to think about who is holding the history for the child, and how we can pull these pieces together into a coherent story to be visited at intervals throughout the child's life. With clear understanding about why life work needs to be an ongoing process, this book has lots of practical information about a range of ways we can find, hold and share the story with the child. -- Kim S. Golding, Clinical Psychologist, WorcestershireTable of Contents1. Introduction. 2. Life Work Terminology. 3. Purpose of Life Work. 4. Theoretical Framework. 5. Team Around the Child. 6. Aspects of Life Work. 7. Summing Up. References. Appendices.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAdopted children who have experienced loss, abuse or neglect need additional support for their emotional development, and are more likely to have special educational needs. This useful resource provides a complete plan for creating adoption-friendly environments in primary, secondary and specialist schools.The book is grounded on new research which gathered together testimonies from over 400 school staff members, adoptive parents and adoption specialists. With realistic consideration of pressures and limitations currently faced by schools, it gives advice on eight key areas for school development, including communicating with parents, training staff, using resources wisely and recognising children's individual needs. Completing the toolkit is a broad selection of photocopiable and downloadable plans for establishing adoption-friendly frameworks, and for demonstrating good practice to staff, pupils, families and school inspectors.Trade ReviewThis excellent comprehensive guide has been compiled with tremendous insight into the challenges faced by adopted children and those who live and work with them. Informative, accessible and authoritative, it gives educators the practical tools to implement a more empathic and thoughtful approach in their schools. -- Daniela Szmigielska Shanly, proprietor/founder of Beech Lodge School and adoptive parentThis authoritative book has the power to inspire and transform school practice in supporting not only adopted children but the entire school community. How? The authors present a text brimming with practical wisdom that is confidently underpinned by psychological theory, leading to compelling reasons for sustained change in schools. -- Laura Dunstan, Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist for Children in Care & Post Adoption and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological SocietyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Foreword - Claire Eastwood. Preface. 1. Why focus on adopted children? 2. Effecting change in your school. 3. Identifying needs. 4. Prioritising relationships. 5. Thinking about behaviour management. 6. Responding empathetically to behaviour. 7. Working in partnership with parents. 8. Sharing information. 9. Reflecting adoptive families. 10. Protecting adoptive families. 11. Support staff. 12. Using resources wisely. Afterword. Glossary. Figure list. Table list. Resource list. References. Further reading.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book aims to share information about the experiences of birth parents and those currently working therapeutically with them, with the hope of promoting greater understanding and improved service development.With contributions from birth parents and professionals in the field, this book articulates the huge emotional challenges and pain faced by birth parents. Grounded in their experiences and drawing on the latest research, it outlines good practice for professionals, and puts forward a range of models for intervention, from very straightforward practical support through to therapeutic approaches and interventions.Practical and compassionate, this book provides a deep understanding of birth parents and their support needs which will inform not only individual practice, but also encourages the development of more humane and effective support services.Trade ReviewAdoption can be the step that breaks a generations-long cycle of family dysfunction. Birth parents are all too often living with the consequences of the same early childhood trauma that adoptive parents recognise in their children, and unlike them, may never had access to a safe, stable and loving home. This book is an important contribution to the debate around extending our growing understanding of the importance of therapeutic support to everyone involved in adoption. It belongs on the desk of everyone involved in policy and practice for vulnerable families. -- Dr Sue Armstrong Brown, CEO of Adoption UKThe needs of birth parents whose children have been adopted have not been sufficiently prioritised. This book shows powerfully why and how that matters for birth parents, for their children and for society. It does so in an engaging, rigorous, and balanced way that illustrates what can and is being done. Most importantly, it does so with humanity. -- Teresa Williams, CAFCASS Director and member of the National Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership BoardThis book opens our eyes to the lifetime impact of adoption on birth families. It is also a powerful testament of the huge benefits to children when birth relatives are supported to play an appropriate role in their lives, giving children confidence in who they are and adding to the security provided by their adoptive family. Everyone wanting to build a better future for children should read this book. -- Maggie Jones, CEO, Consortium of Voluntary Adoption AgenciesThis book specifically focuses on the therapeutic needs of birth parents, whose children are adopted. The words of the mothers and fathers quoted in the book are haunting and help shine a light on the experiences of parents, whose children are permanently removed from them, and who for too long have been disregarded, shamed, ignored or vilified. The perspectives and voices of these birth parents is essential in understanding their need for therapeutic support and in shaping the nature of such support. -- Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive, Family Rights GroupThe system has long failed to support birth parents who lose their children to adoption. This book highlights a range of practice and experiences that together powerfully show we can help birth parents to overcome their loss and to be better prepared to parent in the future. -- Mark Owers, Government Adviser on Looked After Children and Permanence and member of the National Stability Board and the Adoption and Special Guardianship BoardUnderstanding the needs of birth parents and what works in providing them with the support and help to change is a moral imperative; but it can also deliver improved outcomes for them, their families and the children who have been removed from their care. So there is a good 'business case' too. This book is a collection of findings which makes a major contribution to this better understanding.A key component of the Adoption & Special Guardianship Leadership Board's 'modernising permanence' programme is to develop practice which helps adopted children and children subject to other 'permanence' orders better understand their origins and their past. The findings described in this book have a significant part to play in the development of that thinking. -- Andrew Christie, Chair, Adoption & Special Guardianship Leadership BoardAdoption has changed, is changing and will continue to change. 'Supporting Birth Parents whose Children have been Adopted' really puts emphasis on adoption being a life long experience. It helpfully opens your mind to how it can be improved and done differently, and how working with birth families in a meaningful way can lead to a positive change. In an ideal world we would have no need for adoption, but we do not live in an ideal world, so we must concentrate on joining up the corners and multiple layers for everyone affected by adoption. This book provides a number of strategies to achieve that and should be referenced to all adults (including those thinking about adopting or working in adoption), so that we understand that one size can not and will not fit all. -- Scott Casson-Rennie, Adoptive parent and co-host of the Adoption & Fostering Podcast

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritten for busy foster carers and adoptive parents, this book provides a concise introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how to support a child with a diagnosis. It emphasises the common strengths children with ASD have, as well as offering strategies for any behavioural issues that are likely to arise, highlighting how these can be exacerbated by the care system and adoption process.The first part of the book looks at the different aspects of autism and the challenges it can pose for children and parents, providing strategies for managing difficulties at home and at school, using social stories, and reducing sensory input in a child's environment. The second part looks at issues that arise for fostered or adopted children, including placement transitions, contact, and explaining the past. It concludes with helping parents to think about self-care.Trade ReviewAdoption UK regularly supports adoptive parents who are struggling to decide whether their children has autism or an attachment disorder and what difference those two diagnosis might mean. This book will be invaluable to them as it provides a really helpful and simple description of how autism can present in different children, and how this can be similar to attachment difficulties. This book will help parents to get to know their child and their autism. It provides lots of real life examples and explores issues specific to adoption - such as moving from fostering to adoption. It will be invaluable bedside reading for many adopters. -- Ann Bell, Adoption UKAs an specialist autism professional, an adopter and an ex-foster carer, I found this book is a joy to read! It is rare that a book by professionals is so accessible. It will be a great resource for support workers, teaching assistants, care staff and professionals who want a book about autism and attachment that they can read easily, rather than academic text books. -- Heather Moran, Consultant Child Clinical Psychologist, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, NHS UK Author of the Coventry GridAccessibly written and fantastically informative. The authors bring clarity and certainty to what is often a misunderstood and inaccessible word and present it in an easy and relatable form. -- Al Coates MBE, Social Worker/Trainer/SpeakerTable of ContentsPreface; 1: What Is Autism? 2: How Is Autism Assessed? 3: Overriding Principles For Parenting A Child With Autism; 4: Everyday Transitions At Home And School; 5: Placement Transitions & Contact; 6: Attachment & Belonging; 7: Life Story, Loss And Trauma; 8: Looking After Yourself; 9: Seeking Help And Resources; Appendix 1: Getting To Know My Child

Read more less

Book SynopsisThere are thousands of grandparents raising their grandchildren in the United Kingdom, the majority as a consequence of parental drug use or mental health issues. This book recounts the real-life stories of grandparent carers who chose to put their own lives on hold so that their loved ones can be properly cared for.Whilst most grandparent carers remain as unsupported informal carers, some seek to formalise their position by becoming Social Services Kinship Carers or achieve legal routes to independent care as Special Guardians or with a Child Arrangement Order. Whether formal or informal, full-time grandparent carers face life-changing futures. Immediate concerns are work, child care, the behaviour of the child, contact with the birth parents and financial support, and there is often no clear path to learning their rights and available support. There is also the challenge involved in balancing their bonds with their adult children while protecting their grandchildren. In this book, grandparents talk in detail about these issues and of how professionals and services have at times helped and not helped. These candid stories also explore how moving to live with grandparents can be experienced by both child and carer as simultaneously a gain and a loss.The stories offer support, and the book also includes professional advice to encourage grandparents to acknowledge their value, accept their limitations, develop realistic expectations about what they can and cannot achieve, and recognise that all successes should be celebrated.Trade ReviewThere is nothing more important to a child's life chances than being raised in a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment. The contribution and sacrifice of grandparents who step in to provide this is, therefore, of immeasurable value and should be supported as much as possible. This collection of testimonies will, I trust, offer reassurance, a sense of community and much practical wisdom to grandparents who are similarly placed. -- The Rt Hon Frank Field MP DL, Member of Parliament for BirkenheadThis book is a powerful collection of grandparents' experiences of stepping in to care for their grandchildren as kinship carers, their sacrifices and struggles for support. It's also full of love and hope - grandparents putting their grandchildren first and doing whatever it takes to support them; kinship carers supporting each other through peer support groups. And, importantly, it's a rallying cry for more recognition and support for kinship carers who have been taken for granted for too long. -- Dr Lucy Peake, chief executive, Grandparents PlusThis is a vitally important book for anyone caring for or considering caring for grandchildren, anyone who in the informal network around someone caring for grandchildren and for agencies working with these families. The stories are painful to read but show determination and dedication. They are hopeful stories for families struggling with the impact of addiction. This is a book of acquired wisdom and resourceful information. -- Joy Hasler, grandparent and founder of Catchpoint, a registered Adoption Support Agency

Read more less

Book SynopsisCaleb invites you on a journey to learn about attachment and trauma in this interactive story and workbook intended for children and the adults who support them. Caleb shares his own story about healing from his difficult early experiences, and encourages readers to join him in sharing their stories and completing the healing activities included in the book. Caleb's Healing Story identifies the common challenges that children who have experienced attachment or trauma issues will encounter and offers easy to use interventions in the form of activities and worksheets. Fully illustrated, it is suitable for children aged 5-14, as well as their family, friends and those working with children who present with these issues. It is the ideal companion to A Safe Place for Caleb, by the same author, which outlines theories, definitions and strategies for addressing attachment and trauma-related disorders.Trade ReviewChildren that arrive in the adoptive family with early "hurts" need help healing. These youngsters fair better when they have the opportunity to process their experiences and their grief. Caleb, who we had the opportunity to meet in A Safe Place for Caleb, returns in Caleb's Healing Story to share the types of topics and interventions that helped him deal with his losses and join his adoptive family, the Smiths. We learn how Caleb's loss of birth family affects his day-to-day life. We gain the insight needed to initiate conversation about difficult stuff! An abundance of worksheets and activities are interwoven with the content of Caleb's story! So, we are also given practical tools to help boys and girls - like Caleb - cope and flourish! If you seek ideas about helping children to develop positive self-talk, manage triggers, improve their behavior, express their feelings, see their successes, see themselves as happier kids at home and at school - and much more - this is the workbook for you! Ideas to help parents balance the challenges a traumatized adoptee can present with their own emotional well-being conclude the workbook. Thus, the book becomes a complete resource for facilitating strong connections among all members of the adoptive family! I do recommend reading and using this workbook to help facilitate attachment in adoptive families! -- Arleta M. James, LPCC, Founder and Director, Adoption & Attachment Therapy Partners LLCAs a child therapist, I am often looking for resources when working with children with attachment struggles and disorders. This book by Dr. Chara and Ms. Lehner is a gift for therapists working with this population. The book is narrated by Caleb, an adult looking back and reflecting on his story and experiences as a child. He encourages the child reader and therapist-guide to join him in bearing witness to his own experiences and then having the child identify his or her own experiences. This gentle and healing approach will be appreciated by therapists and their child clients. I'm grateful for this resource to enhance the healing work that I've been invited to do. -- Alexis Greeves, LPCC, RPT-S, Vice President, Minnesota Association for Play TherapyI like the personal stories of the children and how they responded to difficult life stresses. I like how Chara and Lehner incorporated the practical hands-on ways of working out the child's pain and grief. Both Chara and Lehner have a special gift with children. -- Jeanette Vought, PhD, LP, LMFT, LICSW, AuthorCaleb's Healing Story is a helpful book for therapists helping children who have been adopted or are in foster care to recover from abuse and strained attachment. Through narrative approaches and visual strategies, Chara and Lehner have created a book that makes difficult-to-understand concepts clear and understandable, allowing children to better express themselves and make meaning of their own healing narrative. This book brings value, using it from cover to cover or pulling select chapters and worksheets to tailor treatment approaches as needed. -- Sara Ranssi, LICSW, Mental Health TherapistCaleb's Healing Story is a heart-warming and thought-provoking book. It follows a 'typical day' for Caleb and gently discusses issues such as lying, stealing, anger and stress, in an easy-to-understand way and from a child's perspective. When completed at the appropriate time in a child's journey, this book and associated activities could prove to be extremely helpful. -- Jennifer Jones, Inspired Foundations, www.inspiredfoundations.co.ukTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction to Parents, Caregivers, and Professionals. Characters. Caleb's City Map. Part 1: Caleb's Story. 1. The Boy who has a Story to Tell. 2. The Case of the Missing Chocolate Chips. 3. Anger is Not My Friend. 4. When the Past is Not the Past. 5. Healing is Hard Work. 6. The Shadow in the Corner? 7. Healing Kids Celebrate. Part 2: Activities and Assessments. Healing Activities and Assessments for Children and Teens. Healing Activities and Assessments for Parents and Caregivers. Part 3: Resources. Guidelines and Recommendations for Professionals. Further Reading. Helpful Organizations, Websites, Contacts. Glossary. Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Every child's way of being can open doors to wisdom, compassion, and human connection. We need only to listen."This is among the conclusions that the authors, one of whom is an experienced foster parent and the other a professor of developmental psychology, draw as a result of working with a diverse range of children and families. Inspired by their relationships with families in crisis, the authors began to rethink the traditional foster care models and developed an innovative practice that afforded birth parents the opportunity to reside, under supervision, with their children during evaluation and treatment. Drawing on over 20 years of work in foster care, along with current attachment research and theory, this book conveys the foster care experience with recommendations for improved models of care and intervention strategies.Engaging case studies depict the challenging nature of determining the best outcome for a child and of supporting the adult's journey as a parent. Written in a narrative style and supported by in-depth research, this book will aid social workers and foster care professionals to better understand families in crisis and to further develop their practice.Trade ReviewThis fine book helps the reader recognize the cost we pay in separating children from their primary caregivers and how this can become an eventual obstacle to reunification. With a high degree of reverence for this complexity, it challenges society: if we want to help the child, we must help the family. -- Fr. Gregory J. Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries and Author of Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless CompassionThis book is a gem! Using the highly evocative stories of parents and their children who have experienced maltreatment, the authors present a relationship-based system of foster care grounded in attachment research. -- Julie A. Larrieu, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of MedicineCreating Compassionate Foster Care makes the therapeutic challenges of helping abusive and neglectful parents real and compelling. This book is both a meditation on changing "internal working models" that lead to child abuse and neglect and the outline of an agenda for reinventing foster care for infants and toddlers. -- Dee Wilson, former child welfare administrator and author of The Sounding Board, Child Welfare Commentaries.If everyone in the foster care system, from policy makers to parents, embraced the relational knowledge in this book I believe it would revolutionize the entire approach to helping some of our most vulnerable children and families. -- Bert Powell, co-creator of The Circle of SecurityThe stories within these pages offer every reader hope and something of a roadmap as to how vulnerability, mixed with commitment and solid science, can create opportunities for children and families that are often considered beyond hope. -- Kent Hoffman, Circle of Security InternationalThis gem of a volume is wise, sensitive, honest and informative. For those who work with children and families who are struggling, it is a refreshing reminder of the value of embracing all involved. -- Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., M.D., Vice Chair, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Tulane University, USAA timely and valuable book that offers insight, judicious examination, compassion, hope and authentic guidance in what is an emotionally charged and challenging area. -- Bob Lonne, B Soc Wk, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work & Discipline Leader, University of New England, AustraliaTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. One Day. Foreword. Preface. PART 1: Lessons Learned from Children and Families. 1. Rickie. 2. Rachel. 3. Barbara and Nathan. 4. Hannah and Ashley. 5. Lucy. 6. Desirae and her Children. PART II: Reflection: Ideas for More Compassionate (and More Effective) Foster Care. Introduction to Part II. 7. Through the Eyes of the Child. 8. Insights into Intervention. 9. The Meaning and Measure of Change. 10. Final Reflections. A Special Place. Chapter Notes. References. Further Reading.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne sunny day, Bomji the rabbit and his friend Spotty the cat meet something very scary while picking flowers in the woods. The friends manage to escape, but afterwards Bomji just doesn't feel safe anymore. His body feels a bit different and he starts to have bad dreams. His friend Spotty is worried about Bomji - how can her friend be helped? Luckily, wise Teacher Owl is there for them. This therapeutic picture book allows children and adults to talk about a frightening experience. The story is followed by helpful guidance for adults on how to help their child. It explores how your body and how you feel is affected by scary experiences, and explains how you can use your body to help to recover too.Trade ReviewThe pictures and rich descriptive text convey the real life experience of so many children ... Children will feel relieved and understood as they recognize themselves and their peers in the characters. -- Pat Ogden, Founder, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy InstituteA brilliant addition to the field of mental health for the treatment of trauma in children ... accessible, educational and fun for clients, parents and therapists alike. Bravo! -- Frank Anderson, MD, Psychotherapist, psychiatrist and Executive Director, Foundation of Self LeadershipDelightful ... The Guide for Grown Ups at the end of the book offers child-friendly ways to extend the value of the story into everyday life, and bolsters parent understanding. -- Elizabeth S. Warner, Psy.D, Clinical psychologist and SMART Project Director, Trauma Center at JRIPractical and accessible ... This important and timely series is a must read for anyone who has a need for trauma literacy. -- Nicola McClung, Ph.D., Mother and Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of San FranciscoAllows parents to take to task the tough questions about trauma ... then guide their child to feel better. This will be a valued book on many shelves. -- Lenea Keltner, Director, Whitman County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)Westcott and Hu have done a wonderful job ... a story with relatable characters that will help children to heal. -- Rochelle Sharpe Lohrasbe, PhD, RCC, EMDRIA-approved consultant in EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy InstituteTable of ContentsAbout the Hidden Strengths Series. Bomji and Spotty's Frightening Adventure. Let's Talk about Bomji and Spotty's Frightening Adventure. Play Time. Guide for Grown Ups.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book presents an innovative relational and community based therapeutic model to ensure children's essential attachment needs are catered for in intensive mental health care.The text combines an overview of theory relating to attachment and trauma before laying out a model for working with children and adolescents in an attachment-informed way. The approach applies to a diverse range of settings - from in-patient psychiatric settings, through to schools-based programs, and provides the reader with the knowledge and guidance they need to introduce the approach in their own service. It also addresses the complexities of working with specific clinical populations, including children with ADHD, ASD, RAD and psychosis. Accessible for entry level clinical caretakers, yet sophisticated enough for clinical supervisors, this book is essential reading for professionals looking to improve the effectiveness of child and adolescent treatment programs.Trade ReviewIn Attachment-Based Milieus, John Stewart shares his original and practical approach to utilize relationship based approaches to healing. In a clear and well-written way, he provides us with the tools to leverage our Paleolithic tribal instincts in the service of plasticity and positive change -- Louis Cozolino PhD, Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine UniversityJohn Stewart has given us a gift. This book expands our use of attachment theory and provides a road map for institutions to travel on towards more secure base milieu care. -- Guy Diamond, Director, Center for Family Intervention Science, Drexel University, Professor Emeritus, University of PennsylvaniaJohn Stewart's new work is an excellent endeavor to describe the complex qualities that are central in developing and maintaining a milieu that provides young people with the relationships that they need to begin to trust. -- From the foreword by Dan Hughes, psychologist and founder of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book presents an innovative relational and community based therapeutic model to ensure children's essential attachment needs are catered for in intensive mental health care.The text combines an overview of theory relating to attachment and trauma before laying out a model for working with children and adolescents in an attachment-informed way. The approach applies to a diverse range of settings - from in-patient psychiatric settings, through to schools-based programs, and provides the reader with the knowledge and guidance they need to introduce the approach in their own service. It also addresses the complexities of working with specific clinical populations, including children with ADHD, ASD, RAD and psychosis. Accessible for entry level clinical caretakers, yet sophisticated enough for clinical supervisors, this book is essential reading for professionals looking to improve the effectiveness of child and adolescent treatment programs.Trade ReviewJohn Stewart's new work is an excellent endeavor to describe the complex qualities that are central in developing and maintaining a milieu that provides young people with the relationships that they need to begin to trust. -- From the foreword by Dan Hughes, psychologist and founder of Dyadic Developmental PsychotherapyIn Attachment-Based Milieus, John Stewart shares his original and practical approach to utilize relationship based approaches to healing. In a clear and well-written way, he provides us with the tools to leverage our Paleolithic tribal instincts in the service of plasticity and positive change -- Louis Cozolino PhD, Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine UniversityJohn Stewart has given us a gift. This book expands our use of attachment theory and provides a road map for institutions to travel on towards more secure base milieu care. -- Guy Diamond, Director, Center for Family Intervention Science, Drexel University, Professor Emeritus, University of PennsylvaniaTable of ContentsSection I. Introduction to Theory Informed Treatment and Attachment Theory. Chapter 1. Treatment within a Theoretical Model. Chapter 2. What's Wrong with the Kids we Serve in Intensive Treatment Settings and What do they Need to Heal? Chapter 3. Introduction to Attachment Theory. Chapter 4. Attachment needs within a three stage developmental framework. Section II. Supporting Healing Attachments in the Treatment Milieu. Chapter 5. How are attachments formed and how is this applied in the treatment milieu. Chapter 6. Understanding and using co-regulation of emotion as a precursor to self-regulation in the treatment milieu. Chapter 7. Executive functioning weaknesses, attachment and organization of the treatment milieu. Chapter 8. Attachment Informed limit setting within the intensive treatment milieu. Chapter 9. Rewriting (healing) shame-based self-narratives within the treatment milieu. Chapter 10. What gets in the way of the attachment informed stance for clinical caretakers? Chapter 11. Institutional support for attachment informed work. Chapter 12. Attachment informed work within the treatment milieu with special population. Chapter 13. Special Strategies and Considerations. Chapter 14. Kindness. Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisNurturing Attachments Training Resource is a complete group-work programme containing everything you need to run training and support sessions for adoptive parents and foster or kinship carers. Based on attachment theory and developed by expert author and trainer Kim Golding, this rich resource provides an authoritative set of ideas for therapeutically parenting children along with all the guidance you will need to implement the training.The training resource includes theoretical content and process notes for facilitators, and a range of activities supported by online downloadable content with photocopiable reflective diary sheets, activity sheets and handouts. It is structured into 3 modules with 6 sessions per module. Module 1: Provides an understanding of attachment theory, patterns of attachment and an introduction to therapeutic parenting. Module 2: Introduces the House Model of Parenting, providing guidance on how to help the children experience the family as a secure base. Module 3: Continues exploring the House Model of Parenting, with consideration of how parents can both build a relationship with the children and manage their behaviour. This will be an invaluable resource and one-stop guide for any professionals involved in training foster carers and adoptive parents, as well as residential child care workers and kinship carers.Trade ReviewI am thrilled to be able to highly recommend Kim Golding's latest book Nurturing Attachments Training Resource to those providing professional services to adoptive parents and carers of traumatized children with attachment difficulties. This highly readable work presents in detail Kim's group training program for adoptive parents and carers that she has used for a number of years. Kim presents clearly the three modules (each involving six sessions) that make up the training and includes handouts and other materials that can be copied and utilized. She presents the key components of the group process itself as well as supportive research to demonstrate the effectiveness of the program.Kim's comprehensive and creative work will also be of great benefit to professionals in the development of their own knowledge of raising children and youth impacted by trauma and attachment problems. Professionals may also use these materials to guide their interventions with individual families. Finally, adoptive parents and carers may also find this work of help when facing the unique struggles they encounter in their efforts to provide good care to their vulnerable children.In short, I am certain that Kim's work will contribute greatly to our efforts both to understand the care that these children need as well as to guide their parents and carers in their efforts to provide such care. We will all experience much gratitude to Kim for Nurturing Attachments Training Resource in the years ahead. -- Daniel A. Hughes, Ph.D., President of the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Institute, Pennsylvania, USAFoster carers and adoptive parents can make bringing up children and young people with complex needs and helping them feel part of their new families appear effortless, but my experience of working with some of the best shows that it's far from easy. I welcome any resource that supports carers to do this well. This material, from an author with a great deal of knowledge about the tasks involved, and with its focus on what they can do and everyday strategies which will make a difference, is very welcome. -- Dr Andrea Warman, social care research, policy and development consultant, UKIn Nurturing Attachments Kim Golding explores parenting children who have attachment and trauma-related difficulties in a theoretically sound manner. Golding's work will be a valuable resource for anyone facilitating parent education/support groups. This programme will not only help its users develop a comprehensive understanding of the complexities that exist in the relationships they have with their children, but also show how they can use this understanding to transform these relationships. Golding has done a masterful job at integrating theory with a practicality that will enable parents to feel more effective in their parenting roles. -- Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D., Founder/Director of the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, USA, Co-author of Adopting the Hurt Child (2009), Parenting the Hurt Child (2002), and author of Parenting Adopted Adolescents (2009)This is an excellent training manual and provides a structured programme with theory-based strategies for therapeutic parenting... The course gives a good overview of attachment theory and the core difficulties for traumatized children... The material is well illustrated with relevant case studies and advice on common problems which can occur in running groups for parents.Golding's work will be an invaluable resource for anyone facilitating parent education/support groups. -- Peter McBride, trainer and independent social worker * Seen and Heard *

Read more less

Book SynopsisZara H. Phillips seemed to live a charmed life - backing singer to the stars with an incredible career here and across the Atlantic - but her smile masked a difficult childhood and the reality that she was adopted as a baby in the 60s. Her life soon spiralled and as a teenager she suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, as she struggled to find her birth parents and her true identity.Somebody's Daughter is a fascinating and revealing account of how a beautiful woman's life has been dominated by her adoption and how it has affected her and those around her. Hard-hitting and emotional, Zara's memoir explores the needs of adopted children, with her characteristic warmth and wit, and the true journey it takes to find where you belong.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOfficially supported and endorsed by the Theraplay Institute, this handbook provides concrete assistance from international experts on deepening Theraplay knowledge and skills in much-needed and requested areas of practice.With up-to-date information on Theraplay theory, applications and implementation, the chapters cover Theraplay with infants, toddlers, school aged children and adolescents. Home, school, and out-patient mental health settings are all covered in detail, as well as dyadic and group forms of Theraplay. Client issues include interpersonal violence, LGBTQ families, anxiety, child sexual abuse, transitioning from foster care to adoption, and deaf and hard of hearing. Additionally, extensive information is provided about working with caregivers including discussion of their own attachment history, practice sessions before including the child, and regular caregiver-only sessions to process and strengthen Theraplay treatment.This book is essential for any Theraplay practitioner wanting to ensure their approach is fully informed and carefully tailored to meet their client's needs.Table of Contents1. An Overview of the Theraplay ModelSandra Lindaman, Rana Hong, Danielle Maxonight and Fiona Peacock2. Ghosts in the Theraplay Room - Exploring, Considering and Understanding the Impact of a Caregiver's Own History on Theraplay TreatmentKaren Doyle Buckwalter3. Prenatal and Infant TheraplaySaara Salo and Hanna Lampi4. Theraplay with AdolescentsFiona Peacock5. Sunshine Circles: Universal Best Practice for Young Children in Preschool ClassroomsKay Schieffer6. Home-Based TheraplayAnnie Kiermaier7. Theraplay Adaptations for Anxiety DisordersDanielle H. Maxonight8. Using Theraplay to Treat Clients of Child Sexual AbuseElizabeth Konrath and Eliana Gil9. Using Theraplay to Help Children who are Moving FamiliesViv Norris10. Theraplay with Families Affected by Domestic ViolenceDonna M. Gates11. Adapting Theraplay for Affirmative Intervention with LGBTQ FamiliesLauren C. Smithee12. Theraplay with Children who are Deaf or Hard of HearingAlexis Greeves and Nicki Melby

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeet Lucie - she is a rambunctious, inquisitive, seven-year-old girl who was adopted! Lucie has lots of questions about everything. When Lucie's pregnant Aunt Grace and Uncle John come to visit, new curiosities bubble into Lucie's mind. What does the baby do in there? Does he eat? That night Lucie has an amazing dream, that her birth parents are a king and queen who live in a castle. She knows she grew in her birth mother's tummy, but if her birth parents lived in a castle, why didn't they keep her?The next day, Dad helps her to make an amazing discovery - he tells her how to find a special connection with her birth parents, and how you can too!Forever Fingerprints is a heartwarming, fun story written for children aged 5-11 which uses an everyday experience to embark upon a gentle exploration of some of the difficult questions and feelings commonly expressed by children who are adopted. Adoption expert Sherrie Eldridge also provides a valuable 'Parent Tools and Activities' section, with ideas for creative activities and suggestions on how to explore issues such as belonging, identity, self-esteem and connection.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDesigned as a professional complement to Sarah Naish's bestselling A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting, this tried and tested resource offers practical tools for all professionals supporting therapeutic families.Based on the latest research, and with photocopiable worksheets, pro formas and charts to use with parents, these tools will help you to build supportive and stable relationships with families and reduce family breakdown.The resource is structured into three parts:1. The Trauma Tracker Tool - designed to support the stability of the family and to predict possible incidents by providing an understanding of the presenting behaviours in the context of the child's history2. The Developmental Foundation Planner - to help professionals to identify and address unmet developmental needs in a structured way as soon as a child is placed with a family and thereby help reduce instances of family breakdown3. The Behaviour - Assessment of Impact and Resolution Tool (BAIRT) - which enables practitioners of most levels to engage in a step by step intervention, breaking down the most complex behaviours with a problem solving supportive process, thereby reducing the effects of blocked care and enabling engagement with parents in an honest, positive process. Simple to use, and easy to implement, these tools will enable you to create therapeutic, trauma-informed assessments, intervention and support.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA sensitive picture book to help ease the anxieties of foster children aged 4 to 10 entering placement.In A Different Home, Jessie tells us her story of being placed in foster care. At first she is worried and has lots of questions. The new home is not like her old home -- she has a different bedroom, different clothes, and there's different food for breakfast. She also misses her family. When Jim and Debbie, her foster parents, answer her questions she begins to feel better and see that this different home is kind of nice. Written in simple language and fully illustrated in color, this storybook is designed to help children in care, or moving into care, to settle in and answer some of the questions they may have. Accompanied by notes for adults on how to use the story with children, it will be a useful book for foster parents and caseworkers, as well as social workers, teachers and anyone else working with children in foster care.Trade ReviewThe depth of empathy running through the story is heartfelt. I could hear, smell and feel the little one all the way through. This book will surely comfort and go some way to allay the very real fears that run through you as a child when being placed in the care system. -- Jenny Molloy, Looked After Children Adviser and Trainer, and author of Hackney Child written as Hope DanielsA Different Home transported me back to the time when, at the age of 7 or 8, I was dropped off with total strangers. I had no idea why I was there or how long I'd be there for. The strangers' house was clean, their fridge was full, and they were nice -- but they were still strangers. They changed my life in a positive way, for which I am grateful, though much of my anxiety could have been relieved had they been able to read this book with me. -- Rhonda Sciortino, former foster child and author of 'Succeed Because of What You've Been Through'A Different Home shows how children often feel about entering foster care and being away from the only home they have ever known. It's accurate, honest, warm and a great resource for parents and professionals. -- Dr. Sue Cornbluth, Psychologist, National Expert in Foster Care/Adoption and Trauma, USAThe really lovely pictures in this sensitive picture book are a huge asset and show clearly Jessie's feelings as well as her development from fear to acceptance, and some advice to foster parents from the authors, experienced at fostering, are an asset too. -- Healthy Books blog

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile clearing through her mother's bedroom after her death, Emma comes across a thirty-year-old newspaper clipping that her mother had kept, announcing the arrival of a new baby boy. Realizing that the baby must be the son she gave up for adoption, Emma becomes transfixed by this link to her first-born. But she now has a husband and two teenage children, all of whom know nothing of her past...Vividly recalling the stigma of her schoolgirl pregnancy and the pain of her separation from the baby, this absorbing and illuminating story follows Emma's search, years later, for Oliver, her adopted son.Trade ReviewMany mothers who have lost a child to adoption will be able to identify with Emma's experience. This novel could be usefully recommended to adopted adults and birth relatives of historical adoptions who are seeking contact or post-reunion, as well as to counsellors, therapists, students and social workers new to work with adults affected by adoption. -- Perlita Harris Lecturer University of Bristol.This novel could be usefully recommended to adopted adults and birth relatives of historical adoptions who are seeking a reunion or post-reunion, as well as to social work students and social workers new to post-adoption work with adults affected by adoption. -- Adoption & Fostering JournalTable of ContentsPart 1: Family Life - The Present, Chapters 1-2. Part 2: Giving up Oliver - 1966, Chapters 3-12. Part 3: Facing the Truth and the Adoption Triangle - The Present, Chapters 13-28. Part 4: A Reunion and a Family Party, Chapters 29-30.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow can we determine success in foster placements? Based on exhaustive research, the authors discuss the primary concerns in foster placement planning, considering the high frequency of placement breakdowns, their impact on the child's behaviour and school performance, and the challenges this places on foster families.The specific needs of the foster child are given close attention in determining a pathway to success. By monitoring and describing the individual characteristics of the child within the context of the placement, the authors are able to reveal what types of supports are most beneficial.The implications for this research are considerable. Social workers are given new methods of assessing the needs of foster children which emphasise the process of care and not just the outcome. Policy makers are provided with rich qualitative accounts with which to increase and strengthen the success of foster placements. This is essential reading for social workers, policy makers and foster families.Trade ReviewOnce more, the team at the University of York presents us with a rigorous study replete with elements contributing to debate and decision-making. -- Child and Family Social WorkOne hopes that this excellent series will be widely read. -- Adoption & FosteringTable of Contents1. Introduction. 2.The Sample: Characteristics and Reasons for Placement. 3. Placements and Destinations. 4. A Kind of Loving: The Children's Accounts. 5. Outcomes. 6. Explanations: Social Worker and Carer Accounts. 7. The Case Studies. 8. Spirals of Interaction. 9. Measuring Success. 10. Foster Children: Characteristics, Personalities and Problems. 11. Birth Families: Characteristics and Patterns of Contact. 12. Foster Families' Characteristics: Reactions to Child and Approach to Main Carer. 13. Social Work Support. 14. Other Forms of Supports. 15. Change and Containment. 16. Summary and Conclusion. Appendix 1: Are our Samples Representative? Appendix 2: Selection of Placements for Interview. References.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMost adopted children and their families will, sooner or later, encounter the challenges of dealing with unresolved attachment issues or early traumatic experiences.New Families, Old Scripts is an accessible introduction to understanding these challenges and helping children and their families to develop a shared language and understanding of one another. Steeped in the experience of the authors, the book offers a wealth of practical guidance and intervention in a no-nonsense style that will be readily understandable to both families and the professionals who work with them. Case examples bring the issues to life, while sample letters addressed to the parent offer sensitive, jargon-free advice on the issues they are likely to encounter - whether it be dealing with anger and aggression, understanding sibling issues or how to react to sexualised behaviour. The authors also explain some of the theoretical background to trauma to encourage a better understanding of the relationship between trauma, attachment and development.The accessible combination of theoretical approaches and practical advice makes New Families, Old Scripts an ideal resource for social workers and adoptive or foster parents.Family Futures Consortium provides services for parents and professionals working with adopted and fostered children, including training and consultation for statutory and voluntary agencies nationwide. In their therapeutic work with families, they have evolved a unique intensive, multi-disciplinary approach to supporting children with attachment and trauma-related difficulties.Trade ReviewAimed at adoptive parents and the professionals who support them, this handbook describes the lasting effects of early maltreatment, separations, and losses on children's development. Case studies illustrate some of the behavioural challenges commonly faced by parents who adopt older children. To facilitate quick reference, the volume is organized alphabetically by topic. Some of the issues addressed include aggressive behaviour, dissociative states, emotional outburst, sibling rivalry and sexualized behaviour. -- Schi Techi Book NewsThis book is designed for direct use with children and their adoptive parents, as well as a resource for working with wider family members, social workers and other professionals involved with adoptive children and families. The authors are both well known for their work in this field and bring credibility and knowledge to their writing.Practitioners in the after adoption field will find this book valuable in a number of ways, as will those working with adopters at any stage in the process, or indeed anyone coming new to this area of work. The authors convey a strong sense of what it feels like to parent a child who has been traumatised and had difficult and poor attachment experiences.I would encourage everyone to approach this as a helpful and thought provoking addition to their toolkit and to reflect on where it challenges and where it adds insight and practical tools. -- Adoption & FosteringThis is a book to help children manage their feelings, make sense of their behaviour and help them reconnect in new families with a calm , quiet, voice and gentle touch. It reminds all parents that with understanding commitment and support young people can find a way of understanding `all of themselves' and learn to integrate their relationships with the world. -- Lapidus QuarterlyTable of ContentsForeword by Alan Burnell, Family Futures. Introduction. Thumbnail sketches. Alphabet of Issues. 1. Accent on change. 2. Aggressive and angry behaviour. 3. Attention seeking/ needing. 4. Basic building blocks of the brain. 5. Bedtime and sleep. 6. Cracking the code. 7. Control issues. 8. Cradling for closeness and comfort. 9. Critical connections. 10. Dealing with danger. 11. Dissociative connections. 12. Dissociative states. 13. Eating and food issues. 14. Emotional outbursts. 15. F is for feelings. 16. F1 kids. 17. Games to encourage attachment. 18. Good child (am I being good enough?) 19. Impact on parents. 20. Looking after yourself. 21. Managing separations. 22. `NO'. 23. Nutrition. 24. Putting it all behind us. 25. Puzzling pain responses. 26. Reassurance or validation. 27. Rivalry between siblings. 28. Rudeness and swearing. 29. Self-regulation. 30. Sensory issues. 31. Sexualised behaviour. 32. Taking, borrowing or stealing. 33. Terrible shame. 34. Think toddler think (T3). 35. What not to do! 36. Your way forward - final reflections. 37. References. Resources and related reading. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisStories and storytelling help children to develop emotional literacy, make sense of their world and appreciate different points of view. Fox Eades shows how storytelling is a crucial element of children's education that can enrich the school curriculum and encourage social and thinking skills.The author discusses the different kinds of story that are useful in the classroom context, including traditional stories, fairy tales and sacred stories, and explores the impact of individual and group dynamics on the telling and reception of these stories. She also considers recognised therapeutic uses of storytelling. She provides a series of sample stories and gives practical tips on adapting these to suit different situations and meet different needs. She also advises on a range of techniques such as using props, allowing `reflection' time and prompting interaction. Sections on collective stories and the child as storyteller explain how children can be inspired to compose their own tales that offer opportunities to practise self-expression and negotiation.This practical and engaging book provides all the tools and techniques needed to use storytelling effectively, and will be an essential resource for primary school teachers and others working with children in educational contexts, social workers and parents.Trade ReviewClassroom Tales, by Jennifer M Fox Eades, is a practical, well-researched and scholarly work, engagingly written and providing a thorough background to the history of storytelling and its range of cultural, religious, geographical, social and therapeutic uses. Eades, a teacher and educational advisor with an MA in Psychoanalytic Observation, writes with clear psychological understanding and often from a personal perspective, casting light on some of the deep and complex levels on which storytelling can work. -- Lapidus QuarterlyThe book covers a multitude of topics from the importance of story telling, to how to tell stories, creating your own stories and encouraging children to tell their own. I enjoyed reading about Fox Eade's personal experiences of using storytelling in the classroom and have found plenty in this book to inspire me. -- Education OtherwiseStorytelling is an intrinsic part of the human make-up and the tradition of oral storytelling is probably as old as spoken language itself. In this book the author, Eades, makes the point that we all tell stories in our everyday lives. For children, the opportunity to listen to and to be apart of oral stories as well as stories in books is a vital part of their learning. Of particular interest are the sections on how powerful storytelling is as an outlet for emotions, especially anxiety, anger and fear. I think this book would be an invaluable resource in all early years settings. -- Early TalkJennifer Fox Eades effectively encourages practitioners in the art of storytelling and shows how valuable this is. Storytelling is very different although no less valuable than reading stories. It is enjoyable to all ages and abilities, it is creative and encourages active learning and is inclusive as stories work on many levels and children can take from it what they need. One of its biggest advantages is its flexibility - the only limit being your own imagination. This is a valuable resource for people working with children at many levels. I thoroughly recommend it. -- The National Child Minding AssociationThe book is a recommended buy for teaching/learning assistants/mentors, SENCO's and teachers in primary schools who are undertaking training in therapeutic play. -- Play for Life JournalThe first point to make about this guide to the delights of storytelling is that non-teachers should not be put off from reading it.As a parent with (only) two young boys to worry about - and not a classroom full of youngsters - I have no hesitation in recommending it to other mums and dads not in the teaching profession. -- www.adoption-net.co.ukStories are good for you. So says Jennifer Eades, whose own damascan revelation occurred while working with highly troubled teenager girls who sat entranced for hours listening to stories that they had missed out on as children. Not just listening, either: using the stories to unpick and understand their own problems. Just as Hindu medicine once used stories as a "cure", Eades uses them to help autistic children change their behaviour.Story telling is an "ancient human skill" and "has elements to it that are not present when a book is read aloud". How you tell a story will in part depend on how your listeners respond - it is a shared, living experience. Eades uses a rain stick, or lighting a candle, or donning a silk scarf, to signal a story is about to begin. A silent start and the pauses in a story build up enjoyment and anticipation and the tale "itself sinks into our hearts and minds".Teachers and children can and should learn storytelling. I once complained when a teacher would not let my son tell her about something exciting he had done at the weekend. She had to start their literacy hour. But Eades reminds us that children telling stories about themselves are an essential part of the lesson - "if you cannot give a coherent spoken account of what happened over the weekend, you will not be able to write one down either".As a teacher, when I tell a story it makes me feel a more direct connection with the children than any other activity. In an age when we complain that children are hard-wired to their computer game modules, let us not forget that a good tale well told will stay with them longer than the latest game.Like a good story, Classroom Tales is both simple and profound and should be made compulsory reading on all initial teacher training courses. Highly recommended. -- TES Extra for Special NeedsJennifer M Fox Eades' informative and easily readable book is a very welcome reminder that story telling and creating is not only pleasurable but will enrich children's learning and personal development. Through her varied work and research in Psychoanalytic Observation of Children and Families, Ms Fox Eades had achieved amazing results with children of all ages from challenging teenagers to the very young. -- Facts and FictionsTable of ContentsPreface. 1. The Importance of Stories and Storytelling. 2. How to Tell Stories. 3. Traditional Tales. 4. Creating Unique Stories. 5. Children as Storytellers. 6. Stories and Thinking Skills. 7. Stories and the Environment. 8. Sacred Stories. 9. Storytelling across the Curriculum. 10. Stories and Emotional Literacy. 11. Storytelling and Reflection. Appendix 1: Sources. Appendix 2: Useful Addresses. References. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisConventional parenting is not adequate to address the needs of children whose emotional development has been frozen, distorted or interrupted as a result of trauma. Therapeutic parenting is a psychodynamic model of parenting tailored for traumatized children, providing a safe, secure environment in which the traumatized child will have the best opportunity to recover.Living Alongside a Child's Recovery asserts that a good understanding of child development and attachment theory is essential to effective therapeutic parenting of a traumatized child, and the book details the roots of trauma as well as the impact this has on a child's ability to maintain normal family bonds, whether with birth parents, foster parents or with staff in a residential setting. It also explains the practicalities of carrying out effective therapeutic parenting, including how to design a therapeutic physical environment, the importance of routine and security, how to approach issues of hygiene and organizing mealtimes. The authors examine individual and group work settings, and also explore transitions; how to manage a child's move to a permanent placement while at the same time ensuring that their needs are prioritized.This book forms part of SACCS' integrated approach and is an ideal accompaniment to The Child's Own Story: Life Story Work with Traumatized Children by Richard Rose and Terry Philpot and Reaching the Vulnerable Child: Therapy With Traumatized Children by Janie Rymaszewska and Terry Philpot, both of which also feature in the Delivering Recovery series.Trade ReviewThis is a thoughtful and understanding insight into the needs of traumatised children. It should find its way onto the desks and into the mindset of many professionals... The book offers an adaptable model of care that can improve the resilience and wellbeing of young people traumatised through abuse... This is an important text with the potential to help develop or change practice and to influence how we plan and resource our efforts to help children recover. -- Children & Young People NowThis book is very practical. It describes in detail- and explains the rationale for - the SACCS approach. Pugh and Philpott discuss creating a therapeutic environment in the home, the process of bringing a child into placement, food, feeding and mealtimes. In addition, they consider the role of the key worker, how to meet a child's developmental needs and plan transition to a permanent placement. I feel inspired and moved by the work SACCS undertakes with some of the most fragile and damaged children in our society. I really hope that the methodology they employ is used to inform practice in training and in supporting foster carers and social workers. -- Counselling Children and Young PeopleAn easy read with profound food for though which is part of a series through SACCS a member of The Charterhouse Group of Therapeutic Communities... A lively and informative look at therapeutic parenting which includes case studies and exercises to aid comprehension. -- Charterhouse Website ReviewI thought this book was so good I wanted more information about the organisation behind it (SACCS) and the book series "Delivering Recovery" of which this is the third book. -- Wren Sidhe, Foster CarerTable of ContentsForeword: Mary Walsh, Founder and Chief Executive of SACCS. A Note and Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1. A Deep Wound: Abuse and its Effects on Traumatized Children. 2. Mind, Body and Soul: Attachment, the Brain, Trauma and Abuse. 3. Another Kind of Parent: What is Therapeutic Training? 4. The Adult's World: Consultancy and Supervision. 5. A Place for Us: Creating a Therapeutic Environment. 6. The New Arrival: The Process of Admission. 7. Food for Thought. 8. Someone to be There: The Role of the Key Carer 9. A Chance to Grow: Meeting a Child's Developmental Needs. 10. The Means to Recovery. 11. A New Beginning. Notes. References. The Story of SACCS. The Authors. Subject Index. Author Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsis* What are the consequences of fostering for children, their carers and their birth families?* What are the best ways of recruiting, retaining and supporting foster carers?* What are the most important elements of a successful placement?* Can foster care offer a permanent alternative to care at home?Fostering Now brings together authoritative research on foster care in the UK. It provides a succinct overview of a wide range of research projects and highlights the main implications for policymakers and all professionals involved in the fostering process.Drawing on the varied experiences and views of foster children, social workers, foster carers and parents, this book looks at how placement outcomes are influenced by factors such as foster carers' parenting styles, contact with the child's own parents, and the child's gender, ethnicity, age and physical and emotional health. Other important areas examined include care given by relatives, the effects of foster care on education, and what happens to foster children when they return home.Fostering Now identifies the most significant challenges currently faced by foster care and draws out the key messages for policy and practice. It offers important insights into the state of foster care today, and suggests how it can be improved in future. This book is essential reading for social workers, policy makers, academics and foster carers.Trade ReviewThe Department of Health can be justly pleased with the high quality of the research which it has commissioned and the reader can be assured that this book is built on solid foundations. There is, indeed, a substantial amount of the evidence upon which we are now exhorted to base practice. The book will be an excellent starting point for this, clarifying the particular issues with which the policy-makers, managers or practitioners may be grappling and referring them back to specific studies. -- Child and Fostering Social WorkThe book is well laid out. It helpfully begins with an overview of how fostering has changed in the last 20 years in the light of legislation and fostering... I would recommend it as an essential reading for all involved in fostering. -- Foster CareThis volume provides an overview of recent research on foster care in the UK. Drawing upon the varied experiences of foster children; social workers, foster carers, and parents, it identifies how placement outcomes are affected by factors such as foster carers' parenting styles and children's gender, ethnicity, age, and physical and emotional health. Other issues addressed include (for example) the recruitment and support of relative carers (such as grandparents) and the effects of foster care on education. -- Book NewsIan Sinclair has succeeded in producing a volume that deserves to be read and used by all those involved in the contemporary looked after system. The title implies that the focus is exclusively on foster care. Those working in other areas of family placement would also derive much benefit from reading this book. -- Research in Practice NewsletterTable of ContentsForeword. The Overview Process. 1. Introducing the Report. 2. Home or Away? Some Basic Issues. 3. Developing Roles for Foster Care? 4. What Should Foster Care Provide? 5. Placing Children in Foster Care. 6. Making Placements Work: The Children. 7. Making Placements Work: Foster Families. 8. Making Placements Work: Birth Family and Contact. 9. School and Education. 10. Recruitment and Retention. 11. Training, Professional Support and Organisations. 12. Conclusion. Appendix A: The Researchers' Summaries of their Projects. Appendix B: Bibliography. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNurturing Attachments combines the experience and wisdom of parents and carers with that of professionals to provide support and practical guidance for foster and adoptive parents looking after children with insecure attachment relationships.It gives an overview of attachment theory and a step-by-step model of parenting which provides the reader with a tried-and-tested framework for developing resilience and emotional growth. Featuring throughout are the stories of Catherine, Zoe, Marcus and Luke, four fictional children in foster care or adoptive homes, who are used to illustrate the ideas and strategies described. The book offers sound advice and provides exercises for parents and their children, as well as useful tools that supervising social workers can use both in individual support of carers as well as in training exercises.This is an essential guide for adoptive and foster parents, professionals including health and social care practitioners, clinical psychologists, child care professionals, and lecturers and students in this field.Trade ReviewThis book is both informative and engaging to read. Golding deliberately focuses on the relationship between child and parent, rather than on the child's difficulties... This is a useful book to remind professionals in adoption and fostering that parenting children from damaging backgrounds is not an easy task and we ask a great deal of parents when placing these children... The necessity for parents, as well as professionals, to know and understand attachment theory and what has gone wrong, in order to care for children with attachment problems, becomes clear from reading this book. -- Social Work in ActionI liked Golding's knowledgeable but unpretentious style, her commitment to understanding a child's internal experience and the encouragement of empathy for children and for carers when the going gets tough. -- Children and Young People NowThis is an excellent book which should be of interest to many adopters and social workers. It is by a British psychologist who works with an integrated service for looked after and adopted children, and her experience shines through in the book. The book provides a good starting point for anyone who wants to understand more about attachment, and explains the theory in detail. I wish this book had been available when I was bringing up my children, and so would defiantly recommend it to parents. Finally I would strongly recommend this book to social workers in adoption and adoption support work as it offers insight into the issues families and children may experience from placement through to adulthood. -- Adoption TodayTable of ContentsSection 1: Attachment Theory. 1. Overview of Attachment Theory. 2. Attachment Theory: Caregiving and Its Impact on Attachment and Exploration. 3. Attachment Theory: Patterns of Attachment. 4. Difficulties in Development: The Impact of Loss and Trauma. 5. Parenting Children with Attachment Difficulties. Experiencing Relationships as Secure. 6. Parenting and Patterns of Attachment. Section 2: A Model for Parenting the Child with Difficulties in Attachment Relationships: Providing a Secure Base. 7. Introduction to the Model and Creating a Secure Base. 8. Empathy and Support from the Secure Base. 9. Attunement and Empathy. 10. Protecting the Family Atmosphere and the Development of Emotional Regulation. 11. Creating a Feeling of Belonging for the Child. 12. Looking after Yourself. Section 3: A Model for Parenting the Child with Difficulties in Attachment Relationships: Building Relationships and Managing Behaviour. 13. Helping the child to enjoy being part of the family. 14. Learning to Parent with PACE and Building Relationships with Stories. 15. Providing Structure and Supervision. 16. Managing Confrontation and Coercive Interactions. 17. Thinking, Feeling and Behavioural Choices. 18. Managing Special Difficulties: Lying, Stealing and Self Harm. 19. Conclusion. References. Glossary. Reading list. Subject index. Author index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book guides childcare professionals through attachment theory and provides techniques for caring for children with attachment difficulties. It explains what attachment is, what different patterns of attachment look like in children and young people, how early attachment experiences affect their lives, and how this understanding can help childcare workers to develop therapeutic ways of caring. By understanding these issues, childcare workers are better equipped to help and support the troubled children they care for. This book shows how to promote recovery through secure base experiences in a therapeutic environment and provides solutions and methods to tackle challenging and problem behaviour, anger and the effects of trauma in children with attachment problems. This essential book will be invaluable to professionals such as residential carers, social workers and foster carers who work in a therapeutic environment with vulnerable and troubled children and young people.Trade ReviewThis book explores the impact of attachment difficulties on the behaviour of young people and offers a therapeutic framework and approach to care that attempts to address this behaviour. It offers a valuable resource to practitioners who work directly with young people, providing them with a strategy and practical tools to manage difficult behaviour in a way that supports young people and ensures their recovery -- Practice: Social Work in Actionthis is an excellent easy-to-read resource which can help practitioners in their work... I would thoroughly recommend Chapter 1 for those interested not just in patterns of attachment but also the implications of attachment in families where domestic violence is a feature... this book adds so many extra dimensions to the understanding of attachment and adds such extra value to the understanding of problematic attachment behaviours ad their management that it would be a shame not to have it on your bookshelf. -- Professional Social Work...this is overall an excellent, practical resource for those caring for children with attachment difficulties, and for the professionals supporting them. -- Journal of Mental Health`An excellent book that is well written, comprehensive and easy to read. It is full of practical advice and things to make readers think about attachment difficulties in teenagers...The book makes special reference to carers working in children's homes and would make an excellent text for care home workers. However, the book is not just for those who work in children's homes, as it contains some excellent practical strategies for parents and carers as well. There are also chapters on working with anger, working with conflict and working with challenging behaviour. Highly recommended.` -- Youth in Mind`This book is divided into eight easy to read, well-structure chapters each prefaced by a list of learning outcomes...Author Chris Taylor uses his own experience to provide an attachment-based model for making residential care a supportive environment for children recovering from the emotional damage done by dysfunctional families and the care system...This is a balanced and quietly persuasive text, with an admirable determination to ensure troubled children receive the highly skilled care they need...I doubt whether we are even close to having the systems, models and career structures to make a residential care revival viable, but this book may prompt us to think again.` -- Children and Young People Now, Jeffrey Coleman, southern England director, British Association for Adoption and FosteringThe concise learning outcomes for each chapter make this book an ideal resource for professional development in the caring field. It may be tempting for people to go straight to the final chapters on dealing with behaviours, and it invaluable as a practical handbook; but it is well worth reading from all the way through as it will deepen the reader's understanding and empathy for children and young people with attachment difficulties. -- Foster Care MagazineA Practical Guide to Caring for Children and Teenagers with Attachment Difficulties is an important bridge between attachment theory and research and providing appropriate care for children who are most in need. Most importantly, it reminds us that in order for these children and young people to successfully recover from their relational traumas, those providing their care must keep in mind the key concepts of attachment security. The author successfully utilizes cognitive and behavioural interventions in the context of attachment, maximizing their effectiveness and demonstrating how best to care for these children and young people. -- Dan Hughes, Ph.D., Psychologist and author of Building the Bonds of Attachment, 2nd ed., Attachment-Focused Family Therapy, and Attachment-Focused Parenting.This book provides a wealth of information and practical ideas for parenting young people who have experienced early trauma and disrupted attachments. Parents and carers are given a whole approach to parenting as well as specific ideas for specific problems, and special reference is made to the often neglected issue of how to parent children living within children’s homes. This book is a treasure trove of theory and practical ideas for foster carers, residential care workers and for the professionals who are supporting them. -- Kim S. Golding, MSc Clinical Psychology, DClinPsy, Clinical Psychologist with the Integrated Service for Looked After and Adopted Children (ISL), Worcester, UK.This volume is designed to provide carers with detailed guidance to help them to understand attachment theory... Taylor offers a practical and accessible approach, bringing a wealth of experience to the task of helping carers to enable children with attachment disorders to achieve more positive, healthy and secure relationshipswith others. Social workers, guardians, psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists will also benefit from Taylor's creativity and clarity... This book is well constructed and successfully achieves its aim of being a very useful and practical tool for carers. Each chapter sets out learning outcomes, enabling carers and professionals to employ this text both as a readily accessible reference and a source of further ideas for care planning. A Practical Guide for Caring for Children and Teenagers with Attachment Difficulties fills a gap, offering guidance to carers and a more focal understanding of relevant issues for professionals involved in care and family work. We suspect that thisbook will acquire a well-worn look on the book shelf or desk of many individuals who are regularly asked to provide advice and support to carers working with vulnerable and traumatised children. -- Child Abuse ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction.1. Patterns of Attachment. 2. The Planned Environment – an organizational representation of a secure base. 3. Ways of Caregiving – working within the frame. 4. Working for Recovery – relational representation of the secure base. 5. Working with Conflict. 6. Working with Anger. 7. Managing Challenging Behaviour. 8. Changing Problem Behaviour. Bibliography. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA child's capacity to cope with adversity and 'stand on their own two feet' is seen as critical to their development, well-being, and future independence and success in adulthood. Psychological strength, or resilience, directly affects a child's capacity to cope with adversity.This book provides a succinct, accessible and clear guide on how to promote resilience in children and achieve positive developmental outcomes for them. The author covers three key factors that affect resiliency: vulnerability to stress and anxiety, attachment relationships, and access to basic needs. For each, the author presents practical advice and strategies, such as how to regulate children's stress and anxiety, how to encourage and maintain secure attachments, and how to assure children that their needs are understood and will be met. The model presented will help parents and carers ensure their children grow up happy, healthy and resilient. This book will be invaluable for parents, carers and practitioners in supportive roles caring for children.Trade ReviewAs an introduction to the subject of resilience in children the work provides a useful and straightforward guide for parents and caregivers in providing some practical advice and guidance and could be a useful tool for professionals in the training of foster carers. -- Seen and HeardThe book is replete with easy-to-read examples, taken both from the author's personal experiences as well as clinical and hypothetical examples. The examples are simple, conveying his meaning clearly. -- metapsychology onlineIn his clear and accessible style, Colby Pearce defines the value and significance of resilience as an essential aspect of psychological survival. He traces the origins of resilience in the early relationships which shape our emotional and social development and describes processes and responses that enhance resilience for children who have had a less than adequate start in life. This is a valuable book for anyone involved in children’s emotional well-being, from parents and community to schools and policy makers. -- Dr Heather Geddes, Educational Psychotherapist and author of Attachment in the ClassroomPearce (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) is a necessary and succinct guide in a market a little too full of lengthy texts but an area, too, where much is said but how to achieve the objectives is not always understood... this is a book helpful for parents, carers and professionals. -- Terry Philpot, Young MindsTable of ContentsA Short Introduction. Prologue. 1. Understanding Resilience. 2. Biological Influences on Resilience - Arousal. 3. Psychological Influences on Resilience - Attachment. 4. Environmental Influences on Resilience - Needs-Provision. A Short Conclusion. Glossary of Terms. About the Author. Endnotes. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisKinship care – the care of children by grandparents, other relatives or friends – is a major part of foster care, yet there are distinct issues that arise in care involving family rather than 'stranger' foster carers.This book takes an in-depth look at what goes on 'inside' kinship care. It explores the dynamics and relationships between family members that are involved in kinship care, including mothers, grandparents, siblings and the wider family. Chapters also discuss issues such as safeguarding, assessment, therapy, encouraging permanence, placement breakdown, support groups, and cultural issues. The final part of the book looks at kinship care from an international perspective, with examples from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the United States.Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives and with contributions from different branches of kinship care, this book provides an invaluable overview of the issues involved and how to provide effective support. It will be essential reading for all those working in the kinship care field, including social workers, therapists, counsellors, psychologists and family lawyers.Trade ReviewPitcher aids the reader's understanding of the subject by providing case studies, practical safeguarding exercises and tool for Social Workers and students... These tools and exercises, whilst being extremely helpful, make the book accessible and highlyreadable... I shall certainly be recommending this text both to colleagues and to social work students to support them to gain an insight into the complex and skilled area of kinship care. -- Social Welfare Portal, The British LibraryDavid Pitcher has put together an eclectic collection of newly commissioned social work, social policy and psychological chapters to aid readers' understanding and appreciation of kinship care in its broader sens... It is most welcome in this book that 'ways forward for kinship care' are identified so that readers are not left simply reading about known problems but different solutions and new approaches...The essence of this important positive publication is its varied and coherent range of insights into kinship care, its evidence base, its practice examples, and therapeutic understandings and messages about what living in kinship care is really like for children, their families, as well as the professionals and organisations working with them. -- From the Foreword by Professor Bob Broad, Weeks Centre for Social and Policy Research, London South Bank University, UKI welcome the authorship and production of this authoritative volume on every significant aspect of kinship care... In my view the book should be required background reading for the family judiciary as well as children's lawyers, social workers and others concerned with the provision and implementation of Children's Services... This book is welcome as a comprehensive and highly readable compendium of chapters which together comprise an up to date study of Kinship Care. -- From the Foreword by Sir Mark Potter, former President of the Family Law Division and former Head of Family JusticeKinship care is a crucial permanence option for children who cannot live at home. It warrants equal status with all other permanence options. This comprehensive kinship care manual covers every aspect of an important social issue. The book made me think differently about relationships we sometimes take for granted. The bond that binds extended families together is beautifully illustrated in many of the well-structured and researched chapters. David Pitcher has assembled a valuable range of contributors, with a prominent international dimension, conveying the central role kinship care plays globally in children's lives. -- Anthony Douglas CBE, Chief Executive, Cafcass, UK and Chair, British Association of Adoption and FosteringThis book not only fills a gap in the literature, it is a stunning weave of professional expertise and lived experience of kinship care. David Pitcher has harnessed the expertise of a group of international researchers, scholar-practitioners and young people and families with experience of kinship care to create an edited handbook of significant importance to the field. The book is timely. The authors are compassionate, thoughtful and hopeful in their approach - but they do not gloss over the complex dynamics of kinship care. Using a wide lens family systems perspective, they engage head on with the needs of children and families, underpinned by a strengths-based approach, and with clear implications for policy and practice. -- Professor Arlene Vetere, Deputy Programme Director, PsychD Clinical Psychology, University of Surrey, UKThis book gives a valuable insight into the benefits and potential challenges in ensuring that this type of care offers the permanence and security that all children deserve and need... The book brings together a range of perspectives from a variety of authors,highlighting the complexity of children being cared for by extended family... There are useful tools included, evidencing that assessment and ongoing work with kinship carers is essential to ensure that kinship placements can offer the safety, security and permanence to children. -- Alison Benjamin, care services team manager, Surrey County Council * Children & Young People Now *This book provides a useful insight into the joys and challenges of kinship placement... The publication is divided into three sections: family perspectives; intervention and support; and international contexts, skilfully linked together by the editor... The need for practical, social and skilled emotional support for families runs throughout this book, making it excellent reading for everyone involved in decision making for children who cannot live with their birth parents. -- Polly Baynes, independent social worker and trainer * Seen and Heard *This book has as its focus an analysis of various perspectives that go o to support the concept of Kinship Care... An interesting complication of various authors and researchers, with informative and thought-provoking content, it is a really easy read that is well worth being present in any social worker's library. -- Carolyn Taylor-Score, CAFCASS Enhances Practitioner * Professional Social Work *Table of ContentsIntroduction. David Pitcher. 1. A Young Person's Experience of Kinship Care, Amy O'Donohoe. 2. What Does Family Support Involve for Parents Who Have Intellectual Disabilities? Sadie Young, Independent Chartered Clinical Psychologist. 3. Siblings and Kinship Care. David Pitcher, Children's Guardian and Family Court Adviser, Cafcass, UK, Sarah Meakings, Research Associate, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK and Elaine Farmer, Professor of Child and Family Studies, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK. 4. The Position of Mothers When a Child is Placed with a Grandmother. Erica Flegg, independent risk assessor and psychotherapist. 5. The Wider Family Context of Kinship Care. Jeanne Ziminski, Systemic Family Psychotherapist, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Sutton, Surrey, UK. 6. 'It Takes a Village': Placing Grandparents and Extended Family at the Centre of Safeguarding Vulnerable Children. Andrew Turnell, social worker and child protection consultant, Resolutions Consultancy, Australia and Susie Essex, retired Consultant Family Therapist, UK. 7. Undertaking an Expert Assessment for the Court. Anna Gough, Independent Clinical Psychologist. 8. Permanence Planning for Children in Family and Friends Care: Establishing a Secure Base in the Re-ordering of Family Relationships. John Simmonds, Director of Policy, Research and Development, British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), UK. 9. 'Get them out of here!' An Exploration of Kinship Placement Breakdown. Tom Hawkins, Lecturer in Social Work, University of Plymouth, UK. 10. A Psychoanalytic Approach to Kinship Care. Graham Music, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, Tavistock Clinic, UK and Geraldine Crehan, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Surrey, UK. 11. Support Groups: What they Do and How they Help. Jackie Wyke, Trustee for the Grandparents' Association, UK. 12. What do White Kinship Carers Need to Consider when Caring for Children of Black 'Mixed Race'? Nick Banks, independent Consultant Chartered Clinical Psychologist. 13. Australia and New Zealand: Assessing Parenting Capacity in Kinship Care. Marilyn McHugh, Research Fellow, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia and Paula Hayden, Social Work Consultant, Foster and Kinship Care, Sydney, Australia. 14. Kinship Care Among Families Affected by HIV in South Africa. Caroline Kuo, Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral and Social Science, Brown University, USA, Lucie Cluver, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford University, UK and Don Operario, School of Public Health, Brown University, USA. 15. The Views of Children in Kinship Care, Their Caregivers and Their Birth Parents: Key Themes from the United States. James P. Gleeson, Associate Professor, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. Epilogue. Looking Forward in Kinship Care. David Pitcher. List of Contributors. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAcross Europe young people in public care are around five times less likely to attend tertiary education than those who have not been in care. This book provides a comprehensive account of why this shocking discrepancy exists and outlines ways to address the imbalance. Drawing extensively on a substantial three-year long European Union funded research project led by the authors, this book examines the participation of young people in care in further and higher education in Europe. It provides a historical and legislative overview of the topic and in-depth national case studies look at the situation in England, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Hungary. The authors set out clearly what we can learn from these cross-national comparisons and how to create more equal opportunities for children and young people in care. This important book will be essential reading for researchers and policy makers working on child welfare or young people in care, including government and local authority policy-makers, managers of children's and education services, school governors, and academics working in the fields of education, sociology, psychology, social work and social policy.Trade ReviewThis excellent and timely book starts from the indisputable premise that the educational experiences and progress of young people in public care have been neglected and little is known about this group of often severely disadvantaged young people. It studies official policies and practices and the experiences of young people themselves and demonstrates that many of the young people leaving care, despite their often negative school and family experiences, have high hopes and expectations of their futures, many aiming for higher education. It should be read by all social and community workers, educationalists, policy-makers and politicians - all of whom need to be better informed of the valuable contribution these young people could make to society. -- Sally Tomlinson, Emeritus Professor, Goldsmiths College, London and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Education, University of OxfordThe authors of this important book have made a substantial contribution to what we know about the dismal educational performance of children and youth in public care. Synthesized data from five countries strongly support what Sonia Jackson has said for decades: "It does not have to be like this". Say it loud and clear, so that everyone can hear. -- Bo Vinnerljung, Professor of Social Work, University of Stockholm, SwedenTthis book (is) recording the EU-funded YiPPEE research programme, an in-depth study of education for children in care across five very different countries - Denmark, England, Hungary, Spain, and Sweden... As so often with international research, there are both similarities and deep differences between countries...This book makes evidenced proposals for improvement at both country and European level, and for me there were strong resonances with experiences in all the countries. This book, the first to cover this subject in detail, should be read by all children's services policy makers, leaders and practitioners - and lessons learned! -- John Freeman CBE, John Freeman Consulting * Children & Young People Now *The current study focuses on how prospects of entering further and higher education for this group might be improved by studying a sample of young people with a public care background from each of five European countries with varied traditions of public welfare: England, Denmark, Hungary, Spain and Sweden... This book will be of use to students of education as it has academic rigour, provides detail of research design and contributes substantially to knowledge on its subject. Teachers and others who work with and are concerned about young people whose educational prospects are adversely affected by their familial, social and economic circumstances will also find it of interest. -- Paula Coates * SEBDA *Table of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Education and Social Inclusion. 2. Welfare Regimes And Individual Educational Progression. 3. Study Design. 4. England: A Targeted Approach. Hanan Hauari and Claire Cameron, Thomas Coram Research Unit, UK. 5. Denmark: Participation For All? Claire Cameron and Inge M. Bryderup, Danish Pedagogical University, Denmark. 6. Hungary: Education And Care In Transition. Claire Cameron, Marta Korintus and Andrea Rácz, National Institute for Family and Social Policy, Hungary. 7. Spain: Stability And Extended Support. Carme Monserrat and Ferran Casas, Research Institute on Quality of Life, University of Girona, Spain, with Sonia Jackson. 8. Sweden: A Long And Winding Road. Helena Johansson and Ingrid Höjer, Department of Social Work, University of Göteborg, Sweden. 9. Looking Across Countries. 10. Finding A Way Forward.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow can professionals work together with foster carers to create stable and therapeutic foster placements? Team Parenting for Children in Foster Care describes a unique model of supporting children in care which involves foster carers and professionals working together in the best interests of the child. This book lays out the key principles of Team Parenting - to meet the needs of troubled young people in an integrated way and incorporate therapy within a wider team of social workers, therapists, psychologists and foster carers - as well as the theory behind it and interventions used. It details how the approach contributes to the recovery of looked after children and each chapter includes examples that illustrates how Team Parenting works in practice. Team Parenting for Children in Foster Care includes ideas for systems and individual practice that will inform and improve foster carers' and professionals' work in any setting.Trade ReviewI was thrilled to read Team Parenting for Children in Foster Care, which shows such a clear understanding of how the provision for vulnerable and traumatised looked after children and young people can be improved. It recognises the importance of an integrated approach with the young person at the centre, supported by a group of carers and professionals working together collaboratively to ensure their needs are met in a coherent and seamless manner. This wonderful book is essential reading for anyone committed to the healing and recovery of looked after children and young people.Congratulations Jeanette and Judy for writing a book that demonstrates such strong commitment to reflective practice and love of these beautiful young people. -- Susan Barton, AM, Founder/Director, Lighthouse Foundation, AustraliaThis book makes a valuable contribution to a much-needed body of work on approaches to doing foster care that can help respond to the diverse needs [of children in care]... It is a tribute to the authors and their achievement that I find myself wishing that I could sit down and talk with them about many of the points they make. This is the sign of a valuable book, one that gets you thinking and energised. -- from the foreword by Professor Robbie Gilligan, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, IrelandTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Contextual Factors Influencing the Rise of Team Parenting. 2. The Emergence of Team Parenting - Definitions And Practice. 3. Key Features of Team Parenting. 4. Therapeutic Interventions in Team Parenting: Consultation with Foster Carers. 5. Therapeutic Interventions in Team Parenting: Team Parenting Meetings. 6. Therapeutic Interventions in Team Parenting: Joint Carer/Child Work. 7. Support for Foster Carers In Team Parenting. 8. The Contribution of Education And Mentoring In Team Parenting. 9. Further Developments In Team Parenting. 10. Conclusion - Where Next? References. Appendix. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAndy Pithouse and Alyson Rees use original research to identify key ingredients needed to help create successful foster placements and help prevent placement breakdown.Studying the lives and activities of 10 foster families who provide lasting and effective care, the authors explore the families' everyday worlds. They look at the negotiations, activities, settings, meanings, rituals and relationships which help to create their successful placements. The authors identify the main components which, according to the carers and the children, contribute to acceptance, belonging and stability in the family. The book examines the emotional and practical work involved in caring, and explores how it is received and reciprocated by fostered young people.With important insights into child and carer perspectives on fostering, this book is a source of invaluable information for foster carers, children's service professionals, and trainees and care staff who may be engaged with children who are looked after.Trade ReviewHere is a very special book that gets under the skin of foster care. It captures the living, breathing realities of daily life for foster children and carers. It shows why foster care is so important and how it can be made even better. A veritable 'one-stop shop' for those seeking a more rounded understanding of foster care. -- Robbie Gilligan, Professor of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College DublinAcross social care we increasingly encourage practitioners to work with users of services to build on their strengths and focus on what they can do, not what they can't. Yet all we seem to read from research in the field of looked after children are the poor outcomes of this group. This book is thankfully different, with the research taking a strengths-based perspective. -- From the foreword by Freda LewisA fascinating insight into the everyday lives of foster families, based on real people and with a clear child-centred focus throughout. A welcome addition to the body of literature on foster care that will prove invaluable for foster families and those who support them. -- Harvey Gallagher, Chief Executive of the Nationwide Association of Fostering ProvidersTable of ContentsIntroduction, Chapter One: Fostering in the UK, key characteristics and challenges, Chapter Two: Ways of thinking about children and families in foster care, Chapter Three: Meet the Families, Chapter Four : Tough job fostering : why do it? Chapter Five : Food, Fostering and Family Life, Chapter Six: Foster care and the 'body', Chapter Seven: Space and Place in the foster home - views from the young people

Read more less

Book SynopsisMost children who are fostered or adopted have some level of contact with their birth family -- whether face-to-face or by letter -- yet most of the time the psychological impact of contact on the child isn't considered. This book explores what attachment, neuroscience and trauma tell us about how contact affects children, and shows how poorly executed contact can be unhelpful or even harmful to the child. Assessment frameworks are provided which take the child's developmental needs into account. The authors also outline a model for managing and planning contact to make it more purposeful and increase its potential for therapeutic benefit. The book covers the challenges presented by the internet for managing contact, unique issues for children in kinship care, problems that arise when adoptive parents separate and many other key issues for practice. Brimming with practical advice and creative solutions, this is an indispensable tool for social workers, contact centre workers, and other professionals involved in contact arrangements or the therapeutic support of fostered and adopted children.Trade ReviewElsie and Louis illustrate contact can be a positive force helping the child to disentangle the web and live comfortably with those in her life, whether directly or indirectly. Much compassion is shown for the child at the centre, but Elsie and Louis go much further. They also have compassion for the adopters, foster carers, other family relations and the birth parents, where it all began. Their sensitive and moving case examples show us that contact can be healing for all involved; leaving the child stronger and those touched by this child healthier. -- From the foreword by Kim Golding, Clinical Psychologist with Worcestershire Health and Care NHS TrustThis sensitive insight into the world of children and young people separated from the families that gave them birth should be required reading for everyone who makes decisions that affect the lives of these children… the potential for transformation and recovery when contact is approached and planned from the perspective of the needs of the child provides real hope for achievable improvements in the lives of our most vulnerable children. I recommend this book unreservedly. -- Kate Cairns, Director of KCA Training and ConsultancyFacilitating Meaningful Contact in Adoption and Fostering is a highly beneficial book which I read cover to cover and which helped crystallise my own thinking about how we manage contact within our Trust and how we could do this differently. -- Lynda McGill, Team Manager of a Therapeutic Team for Looked After and Adopted ChildrenI enjoyed reading this book, it was interesting, balanced and all importantly, easy to understand. It has been written by people who are clearly sensitive practitioners, working closely with adopted and fostered children and it is evident that the children are at the heart of what is being presented... Contact is discussed... It discusses the importance of how a good foster care experience and meetings between foster carers and the adoptive family after placement can provide another stage of healing for the child, helping the child to understand and make sense of their history... it is probably best at this stage to recommend this book to you. It is helpful and there are a number of very good case studies. -- Merian Romanos, Contact Service * Side by Side *It is written in a concise and easy format that would be accessible to social workers, foster carers, birth parents and adopters... the book addresses how a good foster-care experience, followed up by meetings between foster carers and the adoptive family after placement, can provide a further stage of healing, helping the child to make sense of their history... It is relevant to all practitioners who make decisions and need to organise their thinking about contact between children and Young people, and members of their birth families. -- Chris Rivers, Independent social worker * Seen and Heard *Table of ContentsPreface, About Adoptionplus, Chapter 1 Introduction: What is Contact and What is it For? Chapter 2 How to facilitate contact: a structured process, Chapter 3 Understanding the Significance of Attachment and Neuroscience for Baby and Toddler Contact, Chapter 4 Contact During the Transition from Care Order to Permanency, Chapter 5 Contact When Moving from Foster Care into Adoption, Chapter 6 Letterbox contact, By Rachel Staff, Chapter 7 Contact Using Video Messages, Chapter 8: Sibling Relationships and Facilitating Sibling Contact, Chapter 9 Contact for Adopted Children with Adoptive Parents who have Separated or Divorced, Chapter 10 Where Contact is not Possible: Contact for children who are not able to meet their Birth Parents or Family, Chapter 11 Contact with Young People: The Long Shadow of Adoption, Chapter 12 Contact in Kinship Care, Endnotes, Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPositive and practical, this guide is designed to offer a route to recovery from grief and loss after adoption or long-term foster care.Children growing up in adoptive families or foster care often have complicated feelings about the loss of their birth parents - feelings which become all the more complex as they gain independence and become young adults, and which can endure throughout their lives. Common life events such as entering new relationships, building a family or losing a loved one can give rise to difficult questions about their own childhood and identity. In this book, Renée Wolfs provides an accessible explanation of the feelings of loss and grief commonly experienced by adults who grew up in adoptive families or foster care, and how debilitating they can be. She provides grounded advice and strategies to aid recovery and provides the reader with a useful tool: The Circle of Connecting. The Circle provides strategies for healing from loss, spanning all seven elements of your life: your body, mind, heart, environment, past, present and future. This book is essential reading for older teens and adults who need help in addressing feelings of grief and loss, as well as those who support them including adoptive and foster parents, social workers, counsellors and therapists.Trade ReviewAlthough every adoptee and former foster child has his or her own story, I am convinced that each of them will recognise him- or herself in the many stories which have been recorded in this book with such respect and empathy, and that everyone can put this book to good use in his or her own way. Let yourself be inspired and moved by this lovely and intense book. It deals with the pain of loss but with restoring connections, too. It's about coming home, really. -- From the foreword by Marlene van Steensel, Founder of and trainer at Be4you2.nl and former foster childOften when I am working with children and young people who are fostered or adopted around their life stories and processing their multiple experiences of loss I find they are not yet able to complete the journey towards integration. I have often wondered where these children will access support in adulthood to complete this process, agreeing as I do with Wolfs that the memory of these children's losses will be remembered in their bodies into adulthood, imprinted on their senses. I love that Wolfs locates the body at the centre of her seven element 'Circle of Connecting' developed specifically for adoptees and foster children to support coping with loss. In her book I hope motivated adult adoptees and foster children will discover a flexible framework to apply to their core losses, in which 7 elements are central: the body, mind, heart, environment, past, present and future. The reader is in control of the elements he wants to connect with in that moment in order to connect with himself and the past and develop new perspectives, feelings and thoughts about events past, the present and future. This is supported by case examples, practical suggestions and tools and an easy to read theoretical perspective on loss. -- Katie Wrench, Team Manager at the Therapeutic Social Work Team, Art Psychotherapist, Foster Carer and Co-Author of Life Story Work with Children Who are Fostered or AdoptedRenée Wolfs has delivered a fundamentally important book for adopted adults and people who were in foster care. Those who were transracially or transnationally adopted, those who were adopted from, or remained in, the care system after a traumatic start in life, adopters, foster carers and birth relatives can all gain some insight into the emotional turbulence created by such losses and changes. Because of the many personal examples given by adopted adults and fostered people throughout the book, we can see that we are clearly not alone, even if we feel that we often are. Wolfs offers a neat and containing method to manage this myriad of emotions so that we can learn to accept and live with the losses and changes that visit us all during our lives. -- Jean Milsted, Registered Intermediary, Adoption Services for Adults, England...this book will be very therapeutic for many adults who were adopted and for those who grew up in long term foster care. I say this based on my professional experience of reviewing childhood records with adults who return, sometimes years later, to discover or rediscover their childhood. -- Children AustraliaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments, Introduction, 1. Coping with loss, 2. Mourning the core loss, 3. The circle of Connecting, 4. Contact with your birth family, Bibliography, Additional reading, Appendix

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow can adoptive parents and their teenagers navigate the challenges of the adolescent years?Full of valuable, grounded advice, this guide will help parents to understand the impact of early trauma on a child's development and the specific nature of the changes that occur during adolescence. With tips for coping with common problems, it combines first-hand accounts from professionals, parents and teenagers themselves. It also covers essential topics such as: family and peer relationships, developing healthy intimate relationships, emerging identity issues, and contacting birth family. Accessible and honest, Parenting Adopted Teenagers is an invaluable resource for adoptive parents as well as professionals working with them.Trade ReviewMy initial reaction to this book has been gratitude for putting together all of the issues that have been a concern to me for the past 5 or 6 years. My daughter has just completed her first year at university and I have to recognise the fact that this has been helped by the support that I have been able to give her. However, I do not doubt that this support would not have been possible unless I in turn had been supported. Rachel has brilliantly outlined what it is to be a therapeutic parent and what it means to be an adopted teenager. I would urge any interested parties to read this book. I will certainly keep this as my constant source of support and reflection. -- Marion, adoptive parentThis book helps explain so many of my children's difficult and challenging behaviour. It is so rare for a professional to acknowledge so clearly the role of parents and that supporting us is also supporting young people. I found this consistent theme through the book so helpful and encouraging. Rachel Staff gets this issue that parents taking care of themselves is vital because unless we are emotionally healthy and resilient we won't be able to support our children. I strongly recommend this book to everyone parenting or working with adopted young people. -- Sorrel, adoptive parentI wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with adopted teenagers or pre-teens - or indeed anyone wanting to think about and strengthen their relationships with their children - as it is full of very helpful insights and the latest research. I really like Rachel Staff's approach, always looking at the feelings, neuroscience and developmental issues that may lie behind behaviours, which is immensely valuable in helping parents and young people steer a course through challenging times. -- Jane, adoptive parentWhat those in challenging circumstances need is understanding, to feel they are not alone, and practical advice and support. Rachel's book delivers this and I trust that it will become a well thumbed reference for very many adopters. -- From the foreword by Hugh ThornberyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. About Adoptionplus. Note on the Text. Introduction. 1. Key Emotional Themes. 2. Behaviours and 'Ways of Being'. 3. Approaches and Strategies for Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster. 4. Mental Health Provision for Adopted Adolescents. 5. Changing Relationships. 6. Emerging Identity. 7. Peer Relationships and Early Intimate Relationships. 8. Contact and the Adolescent Years. 9. Parents Come First - the Importance of Parent Support. Conclusion.

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Who makes adoption a success? We do: the kids and parents in the new family as we change shape to accommodate each other."With more than 70 real life stories, revealing moments of vulnerability and moments of joy, this book provides an authentic insight into adoption. These stories take the reader on a journey through every stage of the adoption process, from making the initial decision to adopt to hearing from adoptees, and offer an informative and emotive account of the reality of families' experiences along the way. It includes chapters on adopting children of all ages as well as sibling groups; adopting as a single parent; adopting as a same sex couple; adopting emotionally and physically abused children; the nightmare of adoption breaking down; contact with birth parents; tracing and social media and more. Adopting: Real Life Stories will be an informative and refreshing read for adopters, potential adopters, professionals and all those whose lives have in some way been touched by adoption or want to know more about it.Trade ReviewThere is nothing that can replace the knowledge and experience of those who have trod the path ahead of others... I thoroughly recommend this book. -- from the Foreword by Hugh Thornbery CBE, Chief Executive, Adoption UKAdopting: Real Life Stories brings together many voices and experiences and represents adoption in all its wonderful and sometimes frightening complexity. The book is accessible and there is much to be learnt from the broad range of accounts, all of which are written with authenticity and compassion. Ann Morris sets out 'not to underestimate the joys of adoption, but to reveal the challenges honestly', the book achieves this and more. It bravely tackles the realities but at the same time encourages hope and understanding, and that's a difficult balance to achieve. -- Sally Donovan, author of 'No Matter What' and editor of Adoption TodayTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. So you want to adopt? 2. First meetings, first months. 3. Adopting babies and toddlers. 4. Adopting older children.5. Adolescents.6. Adopting a child with a physical or learning disability.7. Adopting an emotionally, physically or sexually abused child.8. Going it alone.9. Same sex couples.10. Adopting sibling groups.11. One plus one - adding an adopted child to your birth family.12. Adoption, race and religion.13. Taking in the child, taking on the school.14. Contact in adoption.15. Attachment issues.16. Breakdown.17. Who am I? Telling, talking and needing to know more. 18. Tracing and social media. 19. The birth mother's story. Useful organisations.

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Want to know something else about me? I am Billy Bramble: the King, the President and the Emperor of Bad Lucksville. I am the Chief Executive of Bad Luck Limited, the Bad Luck Champion of the World, the Bad Luck Guinness World Record holder and it's all thanks to my invisible dog Gobber. He's my Bringer of Bad Luck."Billy Bramble likes rude words, smelly farts, loud farts and freestyle sneezing but when BAD THINGS happen, his invisible angry dog Gobber barks in his ears, gives him brain mash and breaks things. One day a competition is announced at school - The Great Big Cook Off - can Billy Bramble defeat Gobber and change his epic bad luck? An irreverent story for children aged 8-12 about a less than perfect boy, this book will inspire any child who's ever secretly thought they might be less than perfect too.Trade ReviewBilly Bramble is a fantastic book. It gives you an insight into people who may struggle and how their surroundings can influence their behaviours and attitudes. Billy Bramble is a nice boy with an angry, imaginary dog. Together they battle with certain feelings. I believe everyone can learn something from this book, not least that through persisting, eventually, in spite of hardship, you can achieve. -- Coby, 12Brilliant and thoughtful insight into the mind of an eleven year old and the wonderful power of cooking. -- Lorraine PascalePoor Billy seems to get everything wrong. However hard he tries, somehow or another things never work out well. And secretly Billy knows why - it's him, there is something wrong with him. Sally Donovan's deeply felt story gives us a glimpse of how hard it is for Billy to keep trying and hoping that things might be different. He seems actively to push away all attempts to help him and the adults struggle to know how to do anything of use. With his tricky dog by his side Billy doesn't know how to be close. Until the Cook Off. The accumulation of the months and years of stubborn care provided by kind adults starts to break through and we see the vulnerable parts of Billy (which have been there all along) begin to emerge.This moving and psychologically sound story encapsulates many key themes expressed by vulnerable children and paints a vivid picture of the seeming impossible dilemmas they may be facing. Compelling for children, this book will also be of great value to adults as through Billy they gain insight into the risks children face when they begin to dare to trust. -- Dr Vivien Norris, Consultant Clinical PsychologistI like the way Billy has an invisible dog. It is one of the best books I have read. -- Sophie, 13I love Billy - he is funny and cool and awesome and I understand him. I think he was very brave for entering the competition. The story made me laugh a lot. -- JBThe book shows even if you are different you can achieve. -- Jordan, 14The story is good. It makes you want to read on. -- Adam, 12I liked the character of Billy. -- Thomas, 13An inspiring read which will encourage children to get cooking in order to make delicious food and also gain confidence in their own abilities. -- Jo Ingleby, BBC Cook of the Year 2015 and Chef in Residence at Redcliffe Children's Centre

Read more less

Book SynopsisHelping vulnerable children and young people to build protective behaviours is the key to keeping them safe.Full of creative ideas and activities, this guide provides the tools to help children develop these key skills. Topics include work around: building resilience and problem solving skills; identifying a 'safety network'; developing emotional literacy; awareness of grooming strategies and safe/unsafe touch; and cyber safety. The range of tried and tested techniques will be sure to engage any child in thinking about their personal safety, allowing adult carers to have confidence that their child will be empowered to better identify and avoid harmful situations and behaviours.Practical and easy to use, this is a valuable resource for professionals working with vulnerable children and young people, such as adopted or fostered children and those in residential care, as well as the parents and carers of these children.Trade ReviewNestled at the heart of child-centred practice, brimming with easy-to-do ideas, this book is a fantastic resource for practitioners in all sectors working with children. While acknowledging traumatic experiences including child sexual abuse and children entering the care system, the many examples from practice bring the creative, cost-free activities to life. This book enables children to engage with Protective Behaviours, so they can explore ways to feel safer and know they can always talk with someone if feeling unsafe. -- Judith Staff, Protective Behaviours Trainer and Specialist Practitioner, UKHelping Vulnerable Children and Adolescents to Stay Safe is an essential text for educators, carers and any professionals who work with children. The easy-to-follow activities and protective behaviours information are vital in helping us as a society to protect children from all forms of abuse. Prevention education is crucial to the well-being of children and I highly recommend Helping Vulnerable Children and Adolescents to Stay Safe for its age-appropriate and practical tasks. The information and skills children will receive via this book are both empowering and essential. -- Jayneen Sanders, Author of 'Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept' and 'No Means No!', AustraliaTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. Chapter 1: Building Resilience and Self Esteem. Chapter 2: Emotional Literacy and the Body's Emotional Communication. Chapter 3: Feeling Safe and Understanding What It Means. Chapter 4: Body Awareness and Boundaries. Chapter 5: Developing Problem Solving Skills. Chapter 6: Working With Vulnerable Adolescents. Chapter 7: Safety Online.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow can we help heal children who have been abused or neglected? Healing Child Trauma Through Restorative Parenting details how children can be helped to recover with the use of Restorative Parenting, an innovative model informed by psychological and neurological understanding of trauma and its effects. It explains the critical role that people, relationships and the environment play in a child's recovery. It shows what constitutes a therapeutic environment, whereby a child experiences therapy not as one-to-one sessions but as a lived experience. The authors show how other components of the model - building therapeutic relationships, promoting positive education and encouraging clinically informed life style choices - are intimately linked, each critical to the re-parenting which the child undergoes.This book will be welcomed by professionals working with children, including those in residential, health and foster care, psychology, education and health, as well as those commissioning services. The models, concepts and practices are transferable to public, private and charitable agencies.Trade ReviewHealing Child Trauma Through Restorative Parenting offers a coherent theoretical contribution, and a helpful addition to the range of literature on therapeutic residential interventions, that are so critical to meet the needs of the growing number of traumatised children and young people who find themselves 'looked after' on behalf of our society. As such, the book, and the model it expounds, emphasises the important role that residential care placements can offer in providing a vital 'time and space' in which young people can safely explore, and ultimately internalise positive experiences of the emotional health enhancing attachments that they need, with safe, caring and nurturing adults. -- John Diamond, CEO, The Mulberry Bush OrganisationHealing Child Trauma Through Restorative Parenting provides a much-needed resource for anyone working with children suffering from the impact of traumatic or abusive parenting. Robinson and Philpot address the need for a more comprehensive approach to care, providing clinicians and caregivers with evidence-based skills for re-parenting a traumatized child. -- Mary C. Walsh, D.Min., LMFTHaving the responsibility of being the primary carer and homemaker for a child, you often find yourself looking for someone to reorient you with the needs of a young person. This book includes reminders of the subtle everyday things that make care personal. It describes methods and strategies as it shows how child-centred children's services can be, if these principles and practices are applied. Central to the book is that the professional task has to be more than a theory, more than a professional practice. It has to be a relationship, it's personal and it's a necessary precondition for positive development. Whatever you are doing at whatever time of day and wherever you are, this book can be there with you helping you to hold the child in mind so that every moment is one devoted to growth and development. It's a gem of a book. -- Jonathan Stanley, Principal Partner, National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care and CEO, Independent Children's Homes AssociationTable of ContentsForeword. 1. Children in Care: What is Care and why are the Children there? 2. Restorative Parenting: Meeting the Lived Experience of the Child. 3. A Home for the Child: Creating a Therapeutic Environment. 4. Another Kind of Parent: Therapeutic Parenting. 5. It's the Relationship that counts. 6. A Matter of Choices: Clinical insight for the long term. 7. Education, Education, Education. 8. People at the Centre: Staff Consultation, Support and Values. Appendix I. Notes. References. The Authors. Subject Index. Author Index. About Halliwell Homes.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHelping Foster Children In School explores the challenges that foster children face in schools and offers positive and practical guidance tailored to help the parents, teachers and social workers supporting them. Children in care often perform poorly at school both in terms of their behavior and their academic performance, with many failing to complete their education. They will have often experienced trauma or neglect which can result in a number of developmental delays. By looking at why children in foster care do not perform as well as their counterparts, John DeGarmo, who has fostered more than 40 children, provides easy-to-use strategies to target the problems commonly faced. He emphasizes the importance of an open dialogue between teacher, parent and social worker, to ensure that everyone is working jointly to achieve the best outcome for the child. An invaluable resource for foster parents, social workers and educators alike, this book encourages a unified response to ensure foster children are given the best chance to succeed at school.Trade ReviewTrue to Dr. DeGarmo's authorship, he has written a book that will greatly assist everyone involved in the education of children in foster care. This book includes impressive examples that go a long way in helping the reader become emotionally involved while learning how to best meet the needs of all parties serving children in foster care with their educational needs. This is an easy to read book that will help everyone who reads it. -- Irene Clements, Executive Director of National Foster Parent Association (NFPA), USADr. John DeGarmo's latest book is a must read for parents, educators, and other professionals who work with students who are in foster care. Dr. John provides unique insight into the educational world of foster children from both his personal and professional experiences in the field. Classroom teachers and administrators will gain a much deeper level of understanding into the struggles that foster children face as they transition into our classrooms. Furthermore, Dr. John offers practical and useful strategies to assist educators and foster parents in making educational experiences more positive for the child during the time of difficult transition. -- Mike Newton, Ed. D. Superintendent of Jasper County Schools, Georgia, USAThe latest book for John DeGarmo, Helping Foster Children in School, is a guide for helping foster parents, social workers, teachers and others as they seek to understand the challenges children in foster care face. The book provides a basic understanding of foster care and why children live in the foster care system. With statistics provided, the book highlights the large number of children entering or live in foster care each year. It also makes clear the enormous number of school children who are not only trying to learn every day, but are dealing with the challenges of living away from their biological families in foster care. Helping Foster Children in School presents a number of challenges these children face from inconsistent school attendance during their early school years to multiple moves creating fractures in learning. The book identifies areas where children struggle and need support and gives ideas how the people in their lives can help. Helping Foster Children in School is an important read for educators, social workers and foster parents alike since they all are responsible for helping a child heal and achieve educational success. Each chapter leads with stories shared by former foster youth, foster parents, educators and social workers. These personal pieces help drive home the important role each of these individuals play in a child's success. Because teachers often aren't familiar with foster care and its impact on children, it's difficult for them to understand what a child is going through and how to relate, let alone teach. Helping Foster Children in School can fill in the learning gap for these teachers and provide them with a window into the world of a child. Educators need to understand the difficult experiences of children and how that impacts learning. Helping Foster Children in School is an educational tool that should be used by the people hoping to guide a child to achieve educational success. -- Fostering Families TodayTable of ContentsForeword. Introduction. 1. Foster Care: An Introduction. 2. Placement Disruptions. 3. School Performance, Academics, and Behavior. 4. Aging out of the System. 5. Why Teachers, Foster Parents, and Case Workers Struggle. 6. Expectations of a Foster Child While in School. 7. How Teachers Can Help. 8. How Foster Parents Can Help. 9. How Social Workers Can Help. 10. Creating a Support Team. Appendix A. Appendix B. Appendix C. Resources.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFriendship is so complicated! The children of The Adoption Club think they are friends - they go to the same school and belong to The Adoption Club.But what does it mean? What is the difference between a casual and a close friend? How should you respond to teasing? It's time for The Adoption Club to explore friendship.Written for counsellors and therapists working with children aged 5-11, as well as adoptive parents, this workbook is designed to help explore friendship, staying safe and social skills. It is one of a set of five interactive therapeutic workbooks featuring The Adoption Club written to address the key emotional and psychological challenges adopted children often experience. Together, they provide an approachable, interactive and playful way to help children to learn about themselves and have fun at the same time.Trade ReviewThe Adoption Club series by Regina M. Kupecky is a novel concept for helping adopted children share their stories. This therapeutic tool will help adoptees find and use their voices. Thank you, Regina! -- Sherrie Eldridge, author and speaker in the field of adoptionTable of ContentsIntroduction. Story. Bibliography.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWho are my birthparents? Is it okay to think about them? Can I care about all of my parents at once?A Place in My Heart tells the simple story of Charlie, a chipmunk adopted by a family of squirrels, who starts to wonder about his birthparents. At first he is scared that this might upset his family but feels much better when he talks to his mother. The story reassures children that it is okay to ask questions about their birthparents without upsetting their “forever” (adoptive) parents. This fully illustrated picture book for adopted children aged 2-5 gives you an opportunity to discuss adoption, birthparents, and the fact that our hearts are big enough to hold everyone we care about.Trade ReviewThis charming and realistic book helps children learn to talk about their feelings rather than act out. Charlie has big feelings about adoption, identity and birth parents and acts out his feelings. He is helped by his adopted mother to express his feelings in a positive way including an art project. The children I have used this book with love him and love doing the project. -- Regina M. Kupecky, social worker at The Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, co-author of Adopting The Hurt Child, Parenting the Hurt child, A Foster-Adoption Story: Angela and Michael's Journey and The Case of the Multiple MothersI consider A Place In My Heart one of the very best books for young adopted children (and their parents) because it demonstrates how to make it 'OK' for children to hold their feelings and connections for both of their 'real' families: their birth parents and their adoptive parents. No surprise the book was written by an adult adoptee - she really 'gets it!' -- Beth Hall, Director, Pact An Adoption Alliance www.pactadopt.org , author of Inside Transracial AdoptionThis story... highlights that you may not have an answer to all your child's questions, but if you can hold their emotions and be by their side, they can live without these answers. -- Youth in MindA Place in My Heart is neither over nor understated in its dealings with adoption. The soft illustrations are well incorporated into the text and greatly enhance the narrative... It is evident that Mary Grossnickle is writing from experience. This is a comforting guide for parents and children alike who are dealing with adoption. -- Sasha Jawed * The School Librarian (SL) *

Read more less