*Shortlisted for the Young Minds Book Prize 2006* Shattered Lives bears witness to the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes. Chapters take the form of letters to a child capturing their life experiences, hugely impacted by sexual abuse, parental substance misuse and loss, leading to feelings of shame, rejection and worthlessness. Batmanghelidjh offers understanding for those baffled by these hard-to-reach children and warns against stigmatizing them for their problem behaviour. In her critique of existing structures, she exposes the plight of children who are overlooked by the authorities and denounces those who value bureaucracy over the welfare of the individual child. Society's failure to acknowledge the truth of their experiences and act to change the environment in which such mistreatment can flourish is, she strongly argues, leading to the death of childhood. The book is a clarion call for change.

'No matter how bad things are, Molloy tells those afflicted by neglect, there is always hope. And with hope, there is the possibility to heal and to build a new and better kind of life' Lancashire Evening Post Following on from her previous bestselling books, Hackney Child and Tainted Love, written under the name Hope Daniels, which told the stories of kids in children's homes who fought against the odds in their struggle to survive, Jenny Molloy's book Neglected gives harrowing accounts of what happens when children fall in love with the wrong people, and how the role of social workers in their lives can bring them back to an understanding of what love really means. Readers will be introduced to several brave and inspirational children: Jemma, taken into care after her father tried to kill her; Angelika, abandoned by her mother, ending up in a criminal gang; Emma, whose life spiralled out of control after her mother's sudden death. Neglected explores these stories and more, ultimately aiming to answer the question: how can the circle of neglect be broken? Praise for Hope Daniels' other books 'Raw and absorbing' Grazia 'Refreshingly honest ... It will touch your heart' UK Fostering

In the past 20 years, the progressive uncovering of child sexual abuse in institutional settings has reverberated across the globe with simultaneous investigations across Europe and the English-speaking world. However, most books on child sexual abuse are narrowly focused and do not situate this most distressing of human behaviours within a social or historical context. Children, Sexuality, and Child Sexual Abuse examines child sexual abuse from a broader perspective in order to understand how and why child sexual abuse is perpetrated, by whom, under what circumstances, and with what societal consequences for victims and perpetrators. This book will be an essential reference for all those working in the field of child sexual abuse. Beginning with histories of childhood and sex, and their intersections, the book goes on to analyze sexual development, sexuality, and sexualized behaviour in children and adolescents. This is followed by an examination of the extent of child sexual abuse in the English-speaking world, including its prevalence in the Indigenous communities of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and in once-trusted societal institutions including the Church, orphanages, and schools. The book focuses on issues of concern to all those who encounter the problem of child sexual abuse and addresses questions such as: How and when do children disclose child sexual abuse? What are the characteristics of memory that affect reporting? How are disclosure claims assessed? What are the effects of having experienced child sexual abuse? Finally, there is an examination of young people who offend sexually.

The Blackstone's Guide Series delivers concise and accessible books covering the latest legislative changes and amendments. Published within weeks of the Act, they offer expert commentary by leading names on the effects, extent and scope of the legislation, plus a full copy of the Act itself. They offer a cost-effective solution to key information needs and are the perfect companion for any practitioner needing to get up to speed with the latest changes. domestic legislation in thirty years, introducing new powers for the police and courts to tackle offenders whilst ensuring that victims get the support and protection they need. The Act comes into force at the end of 2004 and will have a very significant impact on existing legislation and practice - notably the Family Law Act 1996 and the Criminal Justice Act 2003. a new offence of causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult; ensuring cohabiting same-sex couples have the same access to non-molestation and occupation orders as opposite sex couples; breach of a non-molestation order will become an arrestable criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison; stronger legal protection for victims by enabling court to impose restraining orders when sentencing for any offence; putting in place a system to review domestic homicide incidents; providing a Code of Practice so that all victims receive support and protection; setting up an independent Commissioner for Victims; giving the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority the right to recover from offenders the compensation it has paid to their victims. its many provisions - Explains how the Act interrelates with, and amends, related legislation - notably the Family Law Act 1996 and Criminal Justice Act 2003 - Gives practical pointers on changes to practice and procedure - Contains the full text of the Act, plus the text of key related legislation as amended by the Act, allowing practitioners to access the relevant legislation quickly and easily - Has a clear and easy to use layout, aiding quick reference

The first new book from beloved therapist and writer Torey Hayden in almost fifteen years--an inspiring, uplifting tale of a troubled child and the remarkable woman who made a difference. In a forgotten corner of Wales, a young girl languishes in a home for troubled children. Abandoned by her parents because of her violent streak, Jessie--at the age of ten--is at risk of becoming just another lost soul in the foster system. Precocious and bold, Jessie is convinced she is possessed by the devil and utterly unprepared for the arrival of therapist Torey Hayden. Armed with patience, compassion, and unconditional love, Hayden begins working with Jessie once a week. But when Jessie makes a stunning accusation against one of Hayden's colleagues - a man Hayden implicitly trusts - Hayden's work doubles: now she must not only get to the root of Jessie's troubles, but also find out if what the girl alleges is true. A moving, compelling, and inspiring account, Lost Child is a powerful testament once again of Torey Hayden's extraordinary ability to reach children who many have given up on--and a reminder of how patience and love can ultimately prevail.

Despite the enormous literature on child abuse, there is little information on situations in which children are killed. Unlike other studies, which may be based on large statistical compilations but do not emphasize the murder of children, or detailed accounts of just a few cases, The Loss of Innocents is the first book to employ an extensive database of materials, allowing a large number of cases to be studied. The Loss of Innocents is a detailed analysis drawn from data in child abuse articles in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Omaha World Herald, The Louisville Courier-Journal, and The Lexington Herald Leader during the period 1971-1993. From her exhaustive research, Cara Richards gathered details from over 700 cases involving more than 1,000 victims and 990 perpetrators. These cases offered Richards a wealth of information about the circumstances of the crimes, facts about the perpetrators, socioeconomic background of victims' families, and much more. From this large sample, patterns of dangerous circumstances, and specific types of killers were identified. The thorough analysis presented in The Loss of Innocents goes beyond the facts and suggests new directions for research, intervention, and-most important-prevention. A major goal of this book is to help prevent the killing of children by suggesting ways in which social case workers, judges, police, and others can recognize a situation that is imminently dangerous. The Loss of Innocents looks at clues that can help officials decide when parental rights should be terminated immediately, when a brief separation is enough to remedy an abusive situation, and when a child will be safe despite problems. It is designed to help decision-makers reach judgments about child placement that are more accurate. It may also provide data to evaluate the limitations and utility of confidentiality laws. Further, Richards presents in the final chapter of this book a 16-point list of ways to reduce violence again

When the Sonoma Complex fire came to Elisa Stancil Levine's California doorstep in 2017, her world changed overnight. The devastating fire torched thousands of acres, but for Elisa, a world-class decorative artist, it was her reaction that night that cracked her wide open. A loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Elisa thought she had reckoned with her early childhood trauma. But when she fled the midnight firestorm without alerting a single neighbor, she had to ask herself: Who does that? In This or Something Better, Elisa revisits her past and the one force in which she has always found true kinship: the wild river. Nature, her lifelong ally, gave solace. Through teen pregnancy, her baby's stillbirth, and a mystical near-death experience at eighteen, nature shaped her character, and it later informed her wildly successful career. But was there an unintended consequence? The fresh trauma of the firestorm sparked a quest: what treasure awaited if Elisa learned to trust human nature? Vivid, poetic, and intimate, This or Something Better reveals how true healing of deep wounds happens one exquisite layer at a time-and invites us each to consider and embrace our own path toward wholeness and authenticity.

Research on gender, sex, and crime today remains focused on topics that have been a mainstay of the field for several decades, but it has also recently expanded to include studies from a variety of disciplines, a growing number of countries, and on a wider range of crimes. The Oxford Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Crime reflects this growing diversity and provides authoritative overviews of current research and theory on how gender and sex shape crime and criminal justice responses to it. The editors, Rosemary Gartner and Bill McCarthy, have assembled a diverse cast of criminologists, historians, legal scholars, psychologists, and sociologists from a number of countries to discuss key concepts and debates central to the field. The Handbook includes examinations of the historical and contemporary patterns of women's and men's involvement in crime; as well as biological, psychological, and social science perspectives on gender, sex, and criminal activity. Several essays discuss the ways in which sex and gender influence legal and popular reactions to crime. An important theme throughout The Handbook is the intersection of sex and gender with ethnicity, class, age, peer groups, and community as influences on crime and justice. Individual chapters investigate both conventional topics - such as domestic abuse and sexual violence - and topics that have only recently drawn the attention of scholars - such as human trafficking, honor killing, gender violence during war, state rape, and genocide. The Oxford Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Crime offers an unparalleled and comprehensive view of the connections among gender, sex, and crime in the United States and in many other countries. Its insights illuminate both traditional areas of study in the field and pathways for developing cutting-edge research questions.

Captain Snow, a veteran police officer and acclaimed author of Protecting Your Life, Home, and Property, gives us a startling look, as only a police officer can, at the violence, tears, and terror that shatter homes and lives across America, and tells us what we can do about it. Walking us through the course of a regular night shift, we witness, first-hand, tragic and vividly real scenes of abuse that are becoming all too commonplace. We learn the heart-wrenching story of a woman who has suffered burns, broken limbs, and even a fractured skull at the hands of her brutal husband, but is too terrified to report his crimes. We see the chilling evidence of neglect in a bare, airless, padlocked room where a son has imprisoned his elderly mother without sufficient food, medicine, or human contact, awaiting her death. And we hear the stuttered excuses of a father lying about the scald marks on his baby's legs as the child screams in agony. Abusers, we discover, come from every walk of life, and no one is untouched by the powerful consequences of violence, neglect, and emotional and sexual abuse in this country. Snow goes on to reveal the tactics of violence and terror these abusers all wield - whether against a parent, wife, or child. More importantly, he shows that this hateful legacy of abuse need not continue. At the heart of this book is an urgent, persistent question: How can we stop these horrible crimes? With an insider's knowledge forged from years of experience on the police force, combined with in-depth research, Snow provides a refreshingly practical perspective: tough solutions to conquer this growing crime. Taking on the ranks of the police, the courts, and public education, he sounds a clarion call for reform and reeducation. Captain Snow also gives invaluable advice - in this less-than-perfect world - to victims and their loved ones on how they can now use the police and legal system to their best advantage in fighting against abuse.

The recent surge in reports of child abuse has led Costin, Karger, and Stoesz to examine whether our current responses to the problem are adequate. In this book they trace the cultural, social, and legal factors that have shaped the history of child abuse and responses to it since the 1870s. The public response to child abuse is detailed, from the creation of the first Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the late 19th century, to the relative consignment of child abuse cases to the courts in the early to mid 20th century, and finally to the clinical, individual-level approaches introduced in the 1960s and still practised today.

It is very clear that children in every country experience abuse and neglect. The descriptions of the child welfare systems in different countries in this book illustrate several common themes: the lack of clear definitions, ambiguous policies, laws not being implemented, limited data on the extent and nature of the problem, and inadequate resources for addressing child maltreatment. Challenges facing Argentina are remarkably familiar to someone in the United States. At the same time, there are also striking differences in approaches and resources. The field of child protection is relatively young; in many areas optimal policies and practice remain uncertain. The goal of this book is to promote dialogue across borders to learn from each other and advance this multifaceted field, and to better serve children and families. This book highlights some of the main themes evident in the descriptions of the different child welfare systems.

From the age of eight Candice Derman locked away her secret and lived two lives. The darkness spread but she learned how to live with it. She grew up never knowing if she would ever be able to love all of herself. She became a normal, not normal child and her secret lay hidden inside her for many years. One day it escaped and she became hungry to find happiness. "Abuse is like an unnatural disaster: everything that is lost must be re-built and I have had to re-build all of me. This book is part of that journey and is the story I thought I would never tell," says Derman. A deeply moving true story of pain, courage and love.

'Molly II' is the sequel to 'Little Molly' the true story of a little girl who suffered so many beatings and experienced so much sexual abuse that she suffered from an enormous fear of human contact. In Molly II; I have tried to give some insight into the aftermath that occurs in a victim's life following child abuse. It is a true account of broken marriages, failed relationships, abduction and attempted murder. It depicts the true story of a young mother and her children's struggle to survive after being destroyed by the effects and aftermath of child abuse.

The compelling story of a young woman's emergence into the world after spending her first 13 years strapped to a chair, and her rescue and exploitation by scientists hoping to gain new insight into language acquisition.

Philosophical Reflections on Mothering in Trauma examines the lived experience of mothering children who have been seriously harmed by others. Using an interdisciplinary approach, that employs a feminist phenomenology and an emphasis on narrative theory, this ground-breaking work gives voice to experiences of trauma, and of mothering, not ordinarily heard in philosophical discourses. With a philosophical lens, Melissa Burchard examines the challenges faced by families during the adoption and parenting of abused children. In doing so, Burchard argues that the investigation of traumatic experience poses questions that philosophers must address if we are to improve collective understanding of the human condition. These questions centre around the epistemological implications of traumatic experience, the role of power and privilege in abusive relationships, and the interconnected issues of morality and moral agency in trauma, problematic desires engendered in traumatic circumstances, and therapeutic responses to trauma. The book expresses ways in which mothering wounded children can, if we are deeply engaged and reflective, shift our understandings of what it means to be parents, to be children, to love, to know, to construct a self, to feel desire, to nurture, to coerce, and to live in the ambiguity of not knowing which decisions are right and which are wrong.

Child Victims explores the range and extent of crimes committed against children and assesses their impact. The testimony of over two hundred children gives voice, for the first time, to their experiences, their views, and their needs. It examines how children attain the status of `victims' in the criminal justice system. Drawing on recent research findings, the authors examine each stage of the legal process that a child encounters, from the initial reporting of the offence, through police investigation, to the trial itself. They contrast the specialist response to victims of child sexual abuse with the experience of children who are victims of other crimes, thrust into an adult system which takes little account of their needs. Child Victims concludes by examining the role of support services and agencies dealing with child victims, and makes a number of key recommendations for future policy.

A synthesis of literary critical and historical methods, Porterfield's book combines insightful analysis of Puritan theological writings with detailed examinations of historical records showing the changing patterns of church membership and domestic life. She finds that by conflating marriage as a trope of grace with marriage as a social construct, Puritan ministers invested relationships between husbands and wives with religious meaning. Images of female piety represented the humility that Puritans believed led all Christians to self-control and, ultimately, to love. But while images of female piety were important for men primarily as aids to controlling aggression and ambition, they were primarily attractive to women as aids to exercising indirect influence over men and obtaining public recognition and status.

Reports on the nature and prevalence of child abuse and neglect and organizational responses to the problem to provide a framework for policy and program development.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Research into the effects of child abuse has experienced an explosion over the last few decades, resulting in a far more wide-ranging understanding of this grave societal problem. This compendium volume collects some of the most recent research and organizes it within three categories: societal effects, effects on health (including mental health) behaviors, and epigenetic effects. Specific topics include the associations between childhood abuse and the following factors: Juvenile sexual offending Juvenile delinquency Adult aggression Cognitive development Adult smoking Sleep patterns Suicidal behaviors Psychopathology Epigenomic mechanisms Edited by a Harvard developmental behavioral pediatrician, this important compendium offers state-of-the-art knowledge to professionals and graduate students in the helping fields. The articles collected here provide researchers with foundations for further investigations, while they give active professionals greater power in the fight against child abuse.

The application of assessment frameworks hinges on human qualities and skills which are naturally prone to bias and inconsistency. Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment aims to support workers in analysing and making sense of the information gathered, and increasing accuracy and empathy in assessing the needs and risks for vulnerable children and young people. This book offers best practice guidance on how to analyse information gathered during the assessment of children and young people and their families. Good assessments take time and need to be appropriately resourced. A range of analytical tools are also needed if practitioners are to present assessments of children's needs which lead to meaningful care plans and improved outcomes. Helm introduces the key messages emerging from policy and research, and provides insights into today's multi-disciplinary practice. Professionals working in child welfare and protection roles, such as social workers, health visitors, midwives and teachers will find this practical guide to analysis invaluable in interpreting needs and outcomes.

Use Your Words to Heal with This Self-Care Journal Praise for Jen Cross's Writing Ourselves Whole, the companion to this Write to Restore journal. "This is the most essential book on writing practice I know..." Pat Schneider, author of How the Light Gets In and founder of the Amherst Writers & Artists method #1 Bestseller in Gay & Lesbian Studies Jen Cross has worked with sexual trauma survivors for over fifteen years and founded an organization that is devoted to creating spaces for survivors to write and talk about their experiences. A holistic self-care journaling approach to trauma and recovery. Creative writing is increasingly becoming a go-to method for trauma recovery. There is great power in the written word, and even more so when those words are our own. Journaling provides a cathartic release of emotions because it allows us to not only process past experiences but also reflect on how we're feeling in the present moment. In this way, writing is one of the most easily accessible self-care practices. Give voice to what has been silenced. Healing from trauma can be a slow and painful process, especially for sexual trauma survivors, who are often shamed into keeping their experience to themselves. Write to Restore, a companion journal to Jen Cross's book Writing Ourselves Whole, is a space to put the pain on a page, and in doing so, release the hold it has on us and restore our bodies and minds. In this self-help journal find: A 60-day guided journey to healing from your experience Sixteen writing exercises that gently prompt writers deeper into their experiences and into renewal Follow-up readings, additional exercises, and suggested uses for your writing If you've worked through books such as The Body Keeps the Score; The Complex PTSD Workbook; Start Where You Are; Healing the Wounded Heart; or Present, Not Perfect then Write to Restore will provide further support and restoration for your healing process.

Imagine a young boy who has never had a loving home. His only possesions are the old, torn clothes he carries in a paper bag. The only world he knows is one of isolation and fear. Although others had rescued this boy from his abusive alcoholic mother, his real hurt is just begining -- he has no place to call home.

This is Dave Pelzer's long-awaited sequel to A Child Called "It." In The Lost Boy, he answers questions and reveals new adventures through the compelling story of his life as an adolescent. Now considered an F-Child (Foster Child), Dave is moved in and out of five different homes. He suffers shame and experiences resentment from those who feel that all foster kids are trouble and unworthy of being loved just because they are not part of a "real" family.

Tears, laughter, devastation and hope create the journey of this little lost boy who searches desperately for just one thing -- the love of a family.