Understanding Looked After Children is an accessible guide to understanding the mental health needs of children in foster care and the role of foster carers and support networks in helping these children. The authors provide foster carers with an insight into the psychological issues experienced by children in the care system, and the impact of these issues on the foster family. Chapters cover cultural, social and legal structures associated with foster care and both the relevant child psychology theory and examples drawn from real-life situations. The authors give advice on how to address common psychological issues in collaboration with multi-agency professionals, as well as how to access to statutory services. They also explain the possible impact of assessments on foster children and the causes and management of foster carers' own feelings of frustration, anger or disappointment with social and mental health services or the placement itself. Chapters are complemented by case studies, and the book includes a helpful glossary to common terminology. Understanding Looked After Children is essential reading for registered foster carers and those considering fostering, as well as adoptive parents, and a useful reference for trainee and experienced practitioners in the care system, including social workers, psychologists, counsellors, teachers and others looking after vulnerable children.
It isn't easy being eight years old and having an older brother whom other children often misunderstand. They don't realize that when he doesn't laugh at their jokes it's because he doesn't understand them. They don't know that when he doesn't speak to them or look at them it's because he doesn't know what to say or how to make eye contact. They don't realize that he behaves this way because he has something called Asperger's Syndrome. Sam knows that his brother Eric is different from him because his brain works differently. So, when the other children bully Eric, it makes Sam feel protective of him. But sometimes, when Eric behaves oddly, Sam feels embarrassed too. Sometimes, when Eric gets lots of attention, it makes Sam feel resentful – then, when he considers that Eric needs a lot of help and attention, it makes Sam feel guilty for feeling resentful. There are so many different feelings Sam experiences! Brotherly Feelings explores the emotions that siblings of children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) commonly experience. With illustrations throughout, this book will help siblings to understand that their emotional responses – whatever they are – are natural and OK. It is the ideal book for parents and professionals to use with siblings to discuss their emotional experiences, and will also help children with AS to form an understanding of the feelings of other family members.
This book provides a diverse range of basic information and practical advice for adults with dyspraxia. Colley is able to describe in detail the impact that coordination and motor learning difficulties can have on many everyday activities, including cooking, shopping, sewing, gardening and swallowing medicines. This book provides a very readable, comprehensive and useful resource for adults with dyspraxia and their carers. It might also be useful for clinicians who are new to the field and have limited practical experience.' – British Journal of Occupational Therapy 'This concise and interestingly written handbook is aimed at helping dyspraxic adults to understand their condition and its impact on work, study, social relationships and leisure activities. It contains practical tips on everyday living, including voice control, body language, cooking, study skills, driving and self-care. Especially fascinating are the accounts by four dyspraxic adults of their own experiences. I would recommend the book to teachers and parents, student therapists and clinicians (especially those working in a multidisciplinary setting) who need an insight into developmental dyspraxia as experienced by adolescent and adult clients and an overview of the help available.' – Speech and Language Therapy in Practice For people with Developmental Dyspraxia, everyday life can pose a multitude of problems. Tasks the majority of people would find simple can often be taxing and fraught with difficulty. Living with Dyspraxia was written to help all adults with Dyspraxia tackle the everyday situations that many people take for granted. It is full of practical advice on everything from getting a diagnosis to learning how to manage household chores. Important topics are addressed, such as self-esteem, whether to disclose your condition within the workplace, how to communicate more effectively and also how Dyspraxia often interacts with other conditions, such as Dyslexia, ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome. This practical resource will be of use to adults with Dyspraxia, the professionals and families members who come into contact with them as well as those who simply wish to learn more about Dyspraxia.
When a new baby is born into a family, grandparents are excited about having a baby to enjoy and love. If the child is born with a disability, it can be difficult to know how to react and how best to help the child and the family as a whole. This book provides guidance on how to grandparent a child with special needs and give every grandchild the love and care they deserve and parents the added support they need. From coming to terms with a diagnosis, to helping with the transition from adolescence to adulthood, the book gives clear advice on grandparenting a child with special needs throughout their life. The author covers the medical, emotional and practical aspects of being a grandparent and explores important issues such as researching resources for specialized care, accessing financial and legal resources and, just as importantly, how to have fun and spend quality time with a grandchild with a disability. The book also addresses how to handle the diagnosis of a serious accident or progressive illness. Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs is a unique guide for grandparents keen to make a difference to the lives of their children and their grandchildren.
Listening to children' is one of those feel-good phrases that always features in childcare literature as if it were self-evidently a good thing. Often, however, there is a lack of critical attention to what it really means: How does one listen? How can one evidence that listening has taken place? Starting with an introduction to the policy and practice of listening to children and young people, both individually and in groups, this practitioner's guide provides a range of practical techniques for effective listening, encompassing observation and communication, seeing things from the child's point of view, explaining difficult concepts, helping young people to talk about their experiences and express their feelings, promoting participation and eliciting their wishes and views. The book is peppered throughout with good practice checklists, good practice examples, reflective exercises and quotations from children, as well as case studies showing real situations where effective communication has been established with a child. Listening to Children: A Practitioner's Guide is a rich source of insight and guidance for professionals working with children in the fields of social care, health and education, including child welfare protection, pastoral care, educational psychology and counselling, and indeed for anyone working with children.
When teenagers with special needs transition from school to adult life, both they and their families are faced with many new decisions and challenges. This book provides advice and information to help families prepare for that transition, and make it happen as smoothly and seamlessly as possible. Mary Korpi recognizes the impact of this changeover period and emphasises the need for young adults to be included in all decisions and discussions about their future, thereby developing self-advocacy skills. The first part of the book explains how families can adapt everyday routines to develop the young adult's essential life skills. The second part provides information on programs and support services, and stresses the importance of devising an effective transition plan to help teenagers explore avenues suited to their personal goals and abilities. This is invaluable reading for families of teenagers with disabilities who are preparing to move on from school life.
The overwhelming majority of children and young people in care today are fostered, but for some this only increases their problems through untreated trauma, ill-judged placements, poorly supported foster carersand multiple moves. This practical and evidence-based book outlines the principles of family placement on the basis of planning and evidence, and explores the qualities, skills and insights that create positive placement outcomes. Fostering a Child's Recovery shows how the key to good fostering is well-trained and skilled foster carers who form part of a team of professionals who surround the child. This book will benefit all professionals and parents involved in providing recovery for traumatized children and young people in ensuring successful placements.
Dying is a complex experience for the dying person and their family, friends, and carers, that involves all aspects of what it means to be human: physical, mental, and spiritual. The author describes different types of Nearing Death Awareness (NDA), including visions, dreams, and symbolic language, and offers practical guidance for family and carers of the dying about how to respond appropriately and supportively to NDA behavior. This sensitive and informative book will make fascinating reading not only for anyone who is likely to accompany a dying person, but for anyone with an interest in spirituality.
In this practical handbook, self-esteem expert Deborah Plummer offers a wealth of familiar and easy-to-learn games carefully chosen to build and maintain self-esteem in children aged 5-11. The selection of games reflects the seven key elements of healthy self-esteem – self-knowledge, self and others, self-acceptance, self-reliance, self-expression, self-confidence and self-awareness – and includes opportunities for thinking and discussion. The book combines physically active and passive games, verbal and non-verbal games and games for pairs or groups, which makes them equally accessible for children with speech/language difficulties or those with physical disabilities. Deborah Plummer shows that the games can be easily adapted and she encourages readers to be creative in inventing their own alternative versions. This is an ideal resource for teachers, parents, carers and all those working to nurture self-esteem in children.
This book provides practical guidance for a wide range of professionals working with parents and families, answering common questions such as 'How can parents facilitate their child's transition to secondary school?' and 'How can families best communicate about alcohol?'. Drawing on the findings from years of applied research projects carried out by the Trust for the Study of Adolescence, each chapter focuses on a particular area of parenting young people – from monitoring and supervision to support for foster families – and each highlights the implications of research results for policy and practice. This book presents a range of approaches to working with parents and families, and discusses the effectiveness of techniques such as parent mentoring and involving young people in parenting programmes. Working with Parents of Young People provides a strong set of evidence-based guidelines for best practice and will be a key resource for all those working to support the parents of teenagers.