This handbook provides a succinct introduction to child mental health, covering the nature, prevalence, treatment and management of mental health problems in children and young people. The authors explore a range of issues surrounding the emotional needs of young people, showing how specific problems such as ADHD and learning difficulties can be targeted, while also recognising diversity issues and paying particular attention to at-risk groups. This edition is updated to reflect current direction in services, cutting edge approaches to interventions in primary health care, teaching and social service settings, as well as incorporating children's views on what mental health means to them and the impact of social media. Setting out ways in which young people can be supported by all practitioners in primary care, and covering early years through to late adolescence, the authors have created an invaluable resource for any front-line practitioner working in this area.
Providing an authoritative overview of the growing phenomena of child to parent violence – a feature in the daily life of increasing numbers of families – this book outlines what we know about it, what is effective in addressing it, and outlines a proven model for intervention. Based on non-violent resistance (NVR), the model is founded on a number of key elements: parental commitment to non-violence, de-escalation skills, increased parental presence, engaging the support network and acts of reconciliation. The book outlines the theory and principles, and provides pragmatic guidance for implementing these elements, accompanied by case studies to bring the theory to life.
What 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.
Relationships and communication are the foundation of good social work practice. This book offers a new model, drawn from research and practical experience, which describes how to carry out effective relationship-based social work. Doing Relationship-Based Social Work provides a refreshing and realistic approach to social work practice. The model itself is built around four stages: engagement, negotiation, enabling change and valuing endings. Underpinned by motivational interviewing techniques, strengths focused practice, emotional intelligence and empowerment, the approach is supported by case examples and explanations of the importance of relationships at each stage. Informative and practical, this book will be an invaluable text for undergraduate and postgraduate social work students as well as all social work and allied professionals committed to enabling positive change.
Children who have experienced trauma, loss or separation early in life need more than just special care and attention; they need to be parented with love and security in a way that allows them to heal and rebuild emotional bonds. This comprehensive book provides parents and carers with crucial advice and guidance on how to strengthen attachment and trust. Based on Dan Hughes' proven 'PACE' model of therapeutic parenting, this book explains how to implement PACE techniques to overcome the challenges faced by children who struggle to connect emotionally. Barriers to stable relationships such as a lack of trust, fear of emotional intimacy, and high levels of shame are all explained. It explores techniques to overcome these barriers by teaching how to support the child's behaviour at the same time as building empathy and trust. The practical parenting guidance offered throughout is essential for carers or parents of troubled children, and will help build safe, secure emotional relationships.
"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.
After family violence, very young children and babies benefit from child-led therapy, but how do you achieve this? Dr. Wendy Bunston's guide is here to help you to meet the emotional needs of children who are experiencing trauma, and to enable them to form healthy attachments, both within their families and beyond. As well as clearly explaining the consequences of domestic violence on young developing brains, this book demystifies the practicalities of working effectively with children in their earliest years. Examining real-life cases, it notes the distress that arises when a child is separated from his or her family, advises on the importance and complexities of children's attachments, and shows how to support playfulness as an essential part of children's healthy personal development. Instruction is provided on how to include all family members in the healing process, including the perpetrators of family violence, in a positive way to improve children's chances of recovery. Dr. Wendy Bunston's unique approach to therapy and care, based on over 25 years' professional experience, promotes the viewing of cases from a 'child-led' perspective. Pragmatic, empathic and accessible, this book will be essential reading for anyone working with those affected by domestic violence.
Life story work is an approach designed to enable traumatized children to explore, question and understand the past events of their lives. It aims to secure their future by strengthening attachment with their carers and providing the opportunity to develop a healthy sense of self and a feeling of wellbeing. This new edited volume documents innovative ways in which life story work has been developed. It draws on the work of nine life story centres based around the world and provides understanding and guidance for those working with children who have experienced trauma. The book illustrates current theory and practice and looks at how the approach is being used in a variety of settings including schools, intensive services, youth justice, and post-adoption support, highlighting its versatility. The importance of trauma-informed practice when working with vulnerable children is emphasised throughout, to help practitioners provide the best for the children in their care.
Adult adoptee and family therapist Katie Naftzger shares her personal and professional wisdom in this guide to help adoptive parents remain a calm parental influence in the midst of stormy and erratic teen behavior. This guide describes the essential skills you need to help your adopted teen confidently face the challenges of growing up and outlines four key goals for adoptive parents: · To move from rescuing to responding· To set adoption-sensitive limits and ground rules· To have connecting conversations· To help your teen envision their future Parenting in the Eye of the Storm contains invaluable insights for adoptive parents and simple strategies you can use to prepare your adopted teen for the journey ahead and strengthen the family bond in the process. It provides answers, guidance and understanding – working as a road-map through the tempestuous teenage years.
The scale of the Rotherham child protection scandal has led professionals responsible for safeguarding children in other regions to recognise the extent of child abuse in their area and consider how to respond efficiently. Drawing on lessons learned from key case reviews and independent practice, this book tells the story of Rotherham and shows the consequences of failing to respond to concerns of child sexual exploitation. Using case examples demonstrating both poor and good practice, from Rotherham and elsewhere, the authors are able to present recommendations for improvements at strategic management and frontline practitioner levels.