This book focuses on children's journeys through the care system, from voluntary admission into care, through complicated and often long court proceedings, in pursuit of Care or Freeing Orders. Problems that arise from taking cases through the courts are examined, together with tensions that may arise between judicial and social work decision-making. The Child's Journey Through Care discusses in full: the emotional and behavioural problems of looked-after children and elaborates on care-planning and helping strategies; children's rights whilst in State care and their participation in decision-making about their future, including preparation for appearances in court; the importance and ways of building new attachments and relationships with substitute carers, with emphases on resilience and children's strengths; pitfalls and successes when seeking permanency of care and emotional stability. The book also includes considerations of the European Convention of Human Rights (1998) and describes many of the dilemmas arising in meeting the rights of children and parents, without jeopardising the welfare of either. The importance of openness, consideration, and straightforward dealings with parents is given due emphasis, especially where preparations for taking cases to court are involved. The Child's Journey Through Care will be a valuable source of information for field and residential workers, social work supervisors, resource managers, policy makers, and those working in the legal profession.

Originally published: Indianapolis, IN: Perspectives Press, 1991.

The Fosters meets The Great Gilly Hopkins in this moving novel of a young girl who as sets off on an important mission to save a fellow foster kid from the home that still haunts her nightmares. Twelve-year-old Pavi Sharma is an expert at the Front Door Face: the perfect mix of puppy dog eyes and a lemonade smile, the exact combination to put foster parents at ease as they open their front door to welcome you in. After being bounced around between foster families and shelter stays, Pavi is a foster care expert, and she runs a "business" teaching other foster kids all she has learned. With a wonderful foster family in mom Marjorie and brother Hamilton, things are looking up for Pavi. Then Pavi meets Meridee: a new five-year-old foster kid, who is getting placed at Pavi's first horrendous foster home. Pavi knows no one will trust a kid about what happened on Lovely Lane, even one as mature as she is, so it's up to her to save Meridee. With help from Hamilton, brooding eighth grader Santos, and Hamilton's somewhat obnoxious BFF Piper, they set off on an important mission with life-changing stakes. Pavi will stop at nothing to keep Meridee safe.

"I'm excited to be a sister in our foster family, but I'm worried about new rules. I feel happy and sad at the same time. What about when our help isn't needed anymore?" It's Okay to Wonder is a story about Avery, a loquacious girl whose parents have decided to become foster parents. While Mom and Dad attend another foster training class, Avery shares with her Nana and Pop about her mixed-up feelings. She and her grandparents learn together what it might be like to become a foster family--that it's okay to feel two emotions at the same time and that it's okay to wonder! The Joy of Avery series offers resources for foster care families and brings the world of foster care to life by exploring Avery's feelings as her family welcomes foster children into their home. It's Okay to Wonder is the first book in the series.

Told with the intensity of a medical thriller, the extraordinary story of how Clay Whiffen and his family conquered autism. "Leeann Whiffen's fight for her son is a poignant, intimate story of perseverance and love - a reminder to all of us that a mother is the greatest ally a child with autism will ever have. A Child's Journey out of Autism shines a heartfelt light on a future of healing and hope." Jenny McCarthy, author of Mother Warriors and Louder than Words The therapy costs $30,000. We'd be mortgaging our lives and our savings on something we're not even sure could help our son. But the clock is ticking: the longer we wait, the harder it will be to pull him out of this shell. How are we going to afford it? How can we not afford it? When Clay Whiffen was diagnosed on the autism spectrum, his parents didn't know where to turn. They refused to believe that he could not be cured, and began to try every therapy they could afford - and many they couldn't. In this extraordinary story of one family's struggle with autism, Leeann Whiffen gives voice to the fear of losing a child and the fight to reclaim him, exploring what treatments eased her son Clay's symptoms, where the Whiffens found support, and how the family conquered one of the toughest challenges a child can face. With a foreword by autism specialist Dr. Bryan Jepson, A Child's Journey out of Autism spells out what treatments worked, where the family found help, and how they made it through this crushing crisis. In a time of despair and confusion - when another child is diagnosed with autism every 20 minutes - this is a profound, proven message of hope for anyone whose life is touched by the disorder.

For many years, health services have struggled to meet the needs of looked after and adopted children. The majority enter care due to neglect and abuse, with the consequent effects of these experiences on their health and well-being, exacerbated by the effects of separation from their birth family and subsequent placement moves. This much needed anthology is an essential guide to good practice in the field of the health promotion of looked after and adopted children.

A New York Times Notable Book that “casts a searing eye on the labyrinth that is the American foster care system” (NPR’s On Point). Who are the children of foster care? What, as a country, do we owe them? Cris Beam, a foster mother herself, spent five years immersed in the world of foster care looking into these questions and tracing firsthand stories. The result is To the End of June, an unforgettable portrait that takes us deep inside the lives of foster children in their search for a stable, loving family. Beam shows us the intricacies of growing up in the system—the back-and-forth with agencies, the rootless shuffling between homes, the emotionally charged tug between foster and birth parents, the terrifying push out of foster care and into adulthood. Humanizing and challenging a broken system, To the End of June offers a tribute to resiliency and hope for real change. “A triumph of narrative reporting and storytelling.” —The New York Times “[A] powerful . . . and refreshing read.” —Chicago Tribune “A sharp critique of foster-care policies and a searching exploration of the meaning of family.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Heart-rending and tentatively hopeful.” —Salon

Crime . . . Poverty . . Racism. George rose above it all. His journey through Foster Care was at times difficult, at times touching and at times very funny. His story will inspire anyone working with young people. Especially those in Foster and Adoptive Care, from Foster Parents to Youth, Social Workers and Foster Care Agencies. While his story begin with crime, poverty and racism, it ends with love, belonging and hope. Love . . . Belonging . . . Hope

The Journey will challenge you to find the kind of life you have always wanted to discover. Tom Davis, President of Children's Hope Chest and author of Fields of the Fatherless, Scared and Priceless The global orphan crisis is too serious to ignore, the biblical call is to plain to miss. I'm thrilled to see Journey to the Fatherless! Tony Merida, author of Orphanology, and Lead Pastor, Imago Dei Church and Associate Professor of Preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary The Journey will move a church from thinking to action in responding to the needs of fatherless children. Jayne Schooler, author of Wounded Hearts, Healing Homes and The Whole Life Adoption Book The Journey to the Fatherless is life-changing Paparao Yeluchuri, President, Missions to the Nations, India DOES THE CHURCH CARE FOR THE WORLDS CHILDREN? The evidence on display tells a troubling story with an ever-increasing number of orphans in the world, kids aging out of foster care, AIDS babies in Africa, and toddlers in Haiti whose hair has turned orange from severe protein deficiencies. What makes this situation especially tragic is that given our wealth, talent, and resources, the Church can be a powerful agent of changeand we have the biblical mandate to do so. Do Christians have a responsibility to intercede for and sacrifice their resources for vulnerable children? What happens to the Church when we do? And when we dont? How do we begin? The Journey to the Fatherless is written by a former agnostic, corporate executive and inventor who was chased down by the Hound of Heaven. God then took him to the fields of the fatherless so he could experience what breaks the heart of God. What he discovered in serving the least of these has been captured for the Church to use to prepare others for their journey. The Journey takes the reader beyond Fields of the Fatherless and The Hole in Our Gospel into a deeper understanding of the problem and the biblical call to action.

Author, pediatrician, and developmental- behavioral expert Dan Shapiro, MD, divides his new parenting guide, Parent Child Journey, into ten different "miles." Each mile represents an interactive session that brings you closer to understanding your child's behavior and learning effective strategies. The first mile includes the "Gander," an assessment tool Shapiro developed to help describe your child's developmental profile-and yours too. Respecting the different learning styles of children and parents, he presents the Gander in a variety of ways: as a standard rating scale with explanatory text, but also as a picture, a song, and a map. Then, Shapiro takes parents through nine other sessions, continuing to present his evidence-based training program as a uniquely creative integration of standard discussion, real-life vignettes, richly illustrated fable, worksheets, and homework assignments. Throughout Parent Child Journey, Shapiro emphasizes, "Just because your child's behavior may be complicated, does not mean it is incomprehensible." Parent Child Journey combines serious help with whimsical presentation-supporting and teaching parents, even as it engages and entertains. With this comprehensive new guide, Shapiro reassures parents that they are not alone on this journey.