Foreword. Introduction. 1.""I try hard not to scream"": Responding to the distress of children in care. Siobain Bonfield and Jeune Guishard-Pine, Child and Family Psychologists. 2. Children under 5 in care: what a shame! Christine Cork, Senior Primary Mental Health Worker. 3. ""Working with children in care who self-harm: Understanding coping, communication and suicide"". Sam Warner, Consultant Clinical Psychologist. 4. Drugs and alcohol as a form of self-medication from trauma and past abuse amongst children in care. Jeune Guishard-Pine, Child and Family Psychologist and Lisa Robinson, Children and Young Peoples Drugs and Alcohol Centre Manager. 5. Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man"": Siblings in care and 'safe therapy'. Olatayo Afuape , Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. 6. Working with sexually inappropriate behaviour and incest. Tonie Lawrence-Mahrra, CAMH Practitioner and Transpersonal Therapist. 7. ""Can I go home?"" Art psychotherapy with foster children returning to their birth family. Eleanor Havsteen-Franklin, Art Psychotherapist. 8. The anarchy and the ecstasy: The therapeutic journey for Children in Care. Jeune Guishard-Pine, Child and Family Psychologist and Hannah Baron, Clinical Psychologist. 9. Professionalising Foster Carers. Jeune Guishard-Pine, Devinia Malcolm and Sheri Mosuro, Psychology Well-being Practitioners. 10. Therapeutic boundaries - or 'pass the parcel'?: Ethical challenges and boundaries. Suzanne McCall, Clinical Adolescent Counsellor. 11. The Illusion of individual psychotherapy for LAC: Integrated working as a 'kaleidoscope. Jeune Guishard-Pine, Child and Family Psychologist. 12. On becoming a mental health 'specialist' with children in care: a polemic. Zoe Lander, Services for Children and Young People. 13. Culturally-competent practice for children in care. Gail Coleman-Oluwabusola, Consultant Clinical Psychologist. 14. 'Safe therapy': Involving children in care in developing mental health services. Sidra Aslam, Educational Psychologist. 15. Kith and Kin: Providing a therapeutic space to kinship carers. Olatayo Afuape, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. 16. Child sexual exploitation and multi-dimensional safety for children in care. Lucie Shuker, International Centre for Social Science Research, University of Bedfordshire. Conclusion. References. About the contributors.
Combining contemporary research with practice findings, this book shows how we can improve the mental health of children in care.
Expert contributors highlight the challenges that children face and propose innovative models of practice which have been proven to improve outcomes.
The book describes the difficulties children in care commonly encounter, such as vulnerability to self-harm, substance misuse or inappropriate sexual behaviour. It goes on to explore therapeutic interventions, such as art therapy or integrative therapy, which can be used to address the root of these behaviours. With a range of clinical and practical perspectives, it also makes recommendations for further training for foster carers, for reinforcing professional support networks and for all agencies to have a developed understanding of cultural considerations when working with children in care.
Those committed to improving the mental health of children and young people in care, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, CAMHS professionals and social workers, will find this book an invaluable source of evidence and inspiration.