Licensing Parents addresses the relationship between poverty, unemployment, and other socio-economic issues to competent parenting in a unique and creative manner. Examines why the current generation of children and youth is the first in our nation's history to be less well-off- psychologically, socially, and morally- than their parents were at the same age.

The development of knowledge and skills in working with perpetrators of sexual abuse over the past 15 years has been greatly aided by the establishment of specialist workers and teams. However, this has had the unintended effect of generating mystique about the nature of the work and discouraging non-specialists from engaging in it. The authors feel that this is counter-productive and must be addressed, as almost all work with perpetrators is undertaken by individuals with little support, specialist training or supervision. Only 6% of known perpetrators are treated in established specialist programmes. The underpinning theory and the key principles of practice with this group can be acquired by any professional worker. This book brings that knowledge to front-line staff to enable them to contribute effectively to the protection of children. The book sets out: . To demystify the theory of working with perpetrators of child sexual abuse. . To give practitioners the information they need to able to work effectively and safely with perpetrators. . To help practitioners acquire the skills to help perpetrators take responsibility for their actions and thus protect children. . To look at the gender issues inevitably embedded in this area of work. The book is aimed at the singleton practitioner within social work, probation, housing, community work and mental health work who is increasing faced with the need to work with sex offenders with little or no specialist support. The authors have between them over twenty years of experience in working and training in this field. In this book they have attempted to disseminate their knowledge. They have provided an accessible, readable and informative 'how to' guide. It will appeal to any front line worker who seeks practical advice to develop his or her competence in face to face work with this group. Contents: Context and theory . How Perpetrators Operate . The Grooming Process . Risk Assessment . Change, Monitoring and Containment. Professional Support . Multi-Agency Contexts . Impact on the Professional Lynda Deacon is Staff Tutor, Health and Social Welfare, Open University, with extensive experience in child protection work. Bryan Gocke is a Child Protection Manager and former Probation Officer with experience with adult and adolescent abusers.

Since the publication of Dr. Leonard Shengold's highly acclaimed book Soul Murder in 1989, issues of child abuse have become the subject of much public debate. Now Dr. Shengold offers his latest reflections on the circumstances in which the willful abuse and neglect of children arises and on the consequences of this abuse, providing compelling examples from literature and from clinical material. Dr. Shengold describes various types of child abuse as well as techniques of adaptation and denial by soul murder victims. He explores the psychopathology of soul murder, addressing such issues as instinctual drives, aggression and sexuality, love, and narcissism. In a chapter on sadomasochism, he relates the story of Algernon Swinburne-who may have been a victim of soul murder-and he tells about Elizabeth Bishop, who, like Swinburne, has been able to use artistic creativity to transcend the damage sustained by early childhood trauma. Finally he offers suggestions about therapy for the abused and neglected, emphasizing the need to restore the power to care about and love others in order to ameliorate soul murder's narcissistically regressive effects.

When he first published "A Hole in the World" in 1990, Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Rhodes helped launch and legitimate a decade-long publishing phenomenon--the memoir of abused childhood. In this tenth anniversary edition, Rhodes offers new reflections on the abuse he and his older brother endured at the hands of their terrorizing stepmother and negligent father. He also describes readers' powerful and moving responses to his book, considers his changing sentiments as the years have passed, and provides additional details on his brother Stanley, who remains the author's true hero in this moving memoir.

"Unlike too much of what is offered for public edification (and titillation) in this our age of confession, A Hole in the World comes straight from the heart with no apparent self-serving motives. Richard Rhodes is here to tell us three things, all of them important and useful. The first is that it is dangerous and self-deluding to sentimentalize a myth of idyllic American childhood. The second is that a child caught in a hell not of his own making must devise strategies for survival and must cry out for help; there are others, outsiders, ready to provide it. The third-and to those caught in their own torment the most important-is that it is possible to escape, to rise above hurt and rage, to live a life that is useful and good. A timely contribution to the literature of a problem we are only beginning to understand."--Jonathan Yardley, "Washington Post."

"The deepest significance of Rhodes's prose is its spring-fed clarity. He writes: 'My unconscious early prose-it was largely unconscious in those days because I thought the only way I could write was to get drunk first-screens a predicament I struggled desperately to steady at school] and continue to work forty years later to resolve: how to calm and to rescue the lurching monster of overwhelming, intractable, involuntary rage that my mother's suicide, my father's neglect and my stepmother's violence installed in me.' To judge from the simplicity with which he has woven his memories into narrative, and from it constructed his identity, the monster of rage has been laid to rest."--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, "New York Times."

""A Hole in the World" must be read through tears--the reader's and the writer's--and it must be acknowledged as powerful a bearing of witness, as dark a story of cruelty, as redemptive a proclamation of the soul's strength as we have been given in a very long time. Nothing by the prolific and talented Rhodes prepares us for this shattering testimony."--Frederick Busch, "Los Angeles Times."

A Practical, Hands-On Resource
Treating Sexually Abused Boys is a much-needed resource that offers clinical guidelines for addressing the unique needs of this population. Written by an expert in the field of childhood sexual abuse, the book contains a wealth of exercises and activities that can be effectively applied in individual and group therapy settings. The techniques and exercises outlined are specifically designed to help sexually abused boys overcome feelings of helplessness, fear, and vulnerability and regain a sense of personal power.

"Treating Sexually Abused Boys offers relevant and comprehensive guidance for all mental health professionals who work with children and adolescents. The ready-to-use therapeutic activities make it an invaluable resource for today's busy clinician."
--Tim Bynum, program director, Sexual Abuse Treatment Services for YWCA of Kauai, Hawaii

"Camino has written a practical, easily understood guide for those who work with boys affected by sexual abuse. Both the experienced therapist and the newcomer will find it helpful."
--Mic Hunter, author of Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse and editor of The Sexually Abused Male, Volumes I & II

"If you have ever shrunk away from working with boy victims of sexual abuse-out of fear of the subject's complexity or your own uncertainty-this book is a must read. It combines practicality with a refreshing directness in teasing apart some of the intricacies of power and vulnerability as those issues play out with this tragically underserved population."
--Eugene Porter, author of Treating the Young Male Victim of Sexual Assault

Spectral Evidence is a masterful account of the Ramona family of Napa Valley, CA, whose outward appearance of success was destroyed by allegations of child sexual abuse brought by Holly, the eldest of the Ramonas three daughters, by her mother, Stephanie, and by Holly's therapists against her father, Gary.These allegations were based on memories recovered through the efforts of the therapists, who were later successfully sued by Gary for malpractice. From the powerfully rendered confrontation between Gary and his wife and daughter, to the dramatic conclusion of the first trial, at which the entire concept of recovered memory was furiously debated, readers witness a dynamic and emotional family drama.Johnston, a veteran investigative journalist, objectively explores the nature of recovered memory, its validity, and its quick acceptance within the professional psychological community. The book provides an even-handed and fair survey of the research and opinions brought to bear by feminists, psychologists, memory scientists, and legal experts.

This important volume explores children s needs in the context of the policy, practice, legal and organisational responses to child sexual abuse. The chapters, written by distinguished experts in the field, provide a critical appraisal of recent developments and key debates concerning how to respond to child sexual abuse. The emphasis is on keeping the child central in responding to child sexual abuse, particularly in the context of refocusing children s services . The book is organised around a series of themes identified by survivors of sexual abuse from the National Commission into the Prevention of Child Abuse. These themes include justice mediation advocacy confidentiality communication treatment healing & surviving family support community perpetrators institutional abuse. All of these areas provide major challenges to professionals and health, welfare and legal agencies. The authors provide practitioners with suggestions on how to meet children s needs whilst satisfying policy and procedures. This timely volume

• provides a child-focused exploration of children s needs
• tackles key sources of conflict in practice
• makes recommendations to practitioners for practice and policy development

Children, Child Abuse and Child Protection is the second book written by the Violence Against Children Study Group, a multidisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners from a range of professional settings concerned with child protection. This book follows on from the highly successful Taking Child Abuse Seriously, published in 1990. This new volume gives an overview of the complex and uncertain political, moral and social context within which practitioners and managers attempt to work with children, families and others. The authors suggest factors that should be taken into consideration when refining policy and practice. The book reviews the development of improved policy and practices in child protection, placing children at the centre of policy, practice and discourse. The chapters explore the margins of the child protection system, and in particular how child protection interconnects or overlaps with other systems, such as health, police and education. This accessible text:

• provides a unique focus on the margins of the child protection system
• engages in current debates in social theory and social research
• makes suggestions for policy and practice

The process of interviewing a child can be a daunting experience for both the child and the interviewer. Interviewing Children offers practical advice for understanding the linguistic abilities of children and for applying that knowledge effectively to the evidentiary interview. Drawing on real transcript data and data from language games with presumed non-abused children, the authors examine each stage of the phased interview as outlined, in the Memorandum of Good Practice. Incorporating case studies, checklists, and self-assessment sheets, Interviewing Children provides step-by-step guidelines for

• establishing an effective interview setting
• building rapport with the child
• overcoming the difficulties that can arise when eliciting free narrative accounts
• understanding which question types to use and which to avoid
• identifying and using age-appropriate language
• interviewing disabled children and those who are bilingual or use a minority language

Childhood is ideally a time of safety, marked by freedom from the economic, sexual, and political demands that later become part of adult life. For many children, however, particularly those who live in our inner cities, childhood is increasingly a time of danger. In the urban war zones of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., children grow up with firsthand knowledge of terror and violence. This book examines the threat to childhood development posed by living amid chronic community violence. Most importantly, it shows caregiving adults such as teachers, psychologists, social workers, and counselors how they can work together to help children while they are still children—before they become angry, aggressive adults.

This revealing investigation shows the devastating impact of contemporary cultural trends on children. "Important. . . .Valuable. . . . Weissbourd forcefully contests our disturbing inclination to localize the problems of children among the poor, notably African-Americans and inner-city residents. . . . (He) displays a rare sensitivity to the innumerable large and small problems that may set a child's downward spiral in motion".--"The New Republic".

Kept in a dungeon for his entire childhood, Kaspar Hauser appeared in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1828 at age sixteen, barely able to walk or talk. When he was killed in 1833, his true identity and the motives for his unsolved murder became the subjects of intense speculation. This provocative essay sheds new light on this mystery and delves into fundamental questions about the long-term effects of child abuse.

"This cogently-argued book is a timely contribution to the general literature on child sexual abuse." British Journal of Social Work

" The authors] have gathered information on 206 cases and focus on five representative examples that illustrate what they see as an increasing anti-mother bias in the courts. These five cases of the failure to safeguard children are... effective... Whatever may have happened in the past, the authors make a well-researched, convincing... case that the pendulum has now swung the other way. Now many lawyers, child advocates, psychologists and judges accept a crazy mother or vindictive ex- syndrome, thus allowing real perpetrators to continue abuse with no supervision.... In these cases, judges acquiesce to a paternalistic myth of the American family and in so doing, ignore the reality of American children." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A needed assessment of a terrible problem." Booklist

..". provocative... " Library Journal

"Recommended." Choice

"Without anger, or hysteria, Rosen and Etlin document the interlocking, complex ways in which our antiquated system fails incested children and those who struggle to protect them. Just as important, they propose an innovative solution. This is must reading for anyone interested in the problem of child sexual abuse." Elizabeth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D.

It is comfortable to believe that incest and child sexual abuse need not concern us because we have institutions set up to deal with these problems. This book disallows that comfort and shows that the system has failed, and worse that it has generated a dangerous atmosphere of denial and cover-up. While Rosen and Etlin expose a system whose breakdown is shocking and fundamental, at the same time they present a proposal for relief for the children who are now trapped like hostages in this social war."

Focusing on good working practice in all aspects of conducting enquiries into alleged child abuse, this book takes a positive approach to improving relationships between the workers and the families involved. Each chapter concentrates on a specific issue, including topics such as gatekeeping, planning an enquiry, interviewing children, medical examinations, and recorded agreements. Practice, research, and procedures are examined critically, from a perspective which emphasises the importance of partnership with children and families. This book is essential reading for social services practitioners and managers, voluntary organisations and all concerned with the current debate about the role of enquiries into alleged child abuse and neglect. This book forms part of a re-examination of enquiries into alleged child abuse managed jointly by the National Institute for Social Work, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and Parents Against INjustice.

oThis volume serves as both a very good translation of medical terms as well as a guide pointing to which aspects of thee findings in a medical examination are significant and which are not. In addition, the book provides extensive bibliographies of a variety of topics associated with child physical and sexual abuse.o"A'Anne Boydston Park, Cabrini College"As a health professional working with sexually abused children, your goal is to obtain the most thorough and accurate assessment of a child's condition. Medical Evaluation of Physically and Sexually Abused Children introduces the current spectrum of knowledge on physical and sexual abuse in the medical literature. In addition, this resource serves as an integral reference to find specific information among the vast amount available. Balanced coverage features citations to the literature from both sides of issues that remain controversial, and a glossary of medical terms provides accessible definitions.This vital study guide covers critical issues surrounding the accurate diagnosis and evidence taking in suspected physical child abuse, and it provides the necessary assessment guidelines specific to a forensic examination of the sexually assaulted child and sexually transmitted diseases in children.

This is a study of the effects of racism on the protection and support of black children who have been sexually abused. The author explores the myths and realities surrounding the abuse of black children, and the actions of social workers and others who are responsible for their protection. Her purpose is to demonstrate how deeply racism is affecting the provision and care for the abused black child, the prevention of disclosure of abuse by such children, and what can be done to redress the balance. The book includes first-hand accounts supported by qualitative and quantitative research and references to literature in the field. It is aimed at those preparing for the Diploma in Social Work or NVQ in Care level 3, health visitors and Project 2000 nurses.>

Offering an approach that focuses on the origins of mental health rather than the beginnings of mental illness, this book outlines how men and women can recognize the resilient traits they possess and foster the strength to overcome tragedy.

An inspiring and invigorating book! I recommAnd it to the courageous women and men who struggle each day to overcome their own cruel pasts, to the therapists who work with them, and to anyone interested in the relationship between adult development and mental health.''--Robert Kegan, Harvard University and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology