'I promised that I would one day write a book and tell the world about the home for unmarried mothers. I have at last kept my promise.' In Ireland, 1951, the young June Goulding took up a position as midwife in a home for unmarried mothers run by the Sacred Heart nuns. What she witnessed there was to haunt her for the next fifty years. It was a place of secrets, lies and cruelty. A place where women picked grass by hand and tarred roads whilst heavily pregnant. Where they were denied any contact with the outside world; denied basic medical treatment and abused for their 'sins'; where, after the birth, they were forced into hard labour in the convent for three years. But worst of all was that the young women were expected to raise their babies during these three years so that they could then be sold - given up for adoption in exchange for a donation to the nuns. Shocked by the nuns' inhumane treatment of the frightened young women, June risked her job to bring some light into their dark lives. June's memoir tells the story of twelve women's experiences in this home and of the hardships they endured, but also the kindness she offered them, and the hope she was able to bring.

This timely volume surveys the broad spectrum of interventions used in health promotion, and shows how they may be tailored to the developmental needs of children and adolescents. Its multilevel lifespan approach reflects concepts of public health as inclusive, empowering, and aimed at long- and short-term well-being. Coverage grounds readers in theoretical and ecological perspectives, while special sections spotlight key issues in social and behavioral wellness, dietary health, and children and teens in the health care system. And in keeping with best practices in the field, the book emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders, especially with the young clients themselves. Among the topics covered: Child mental health: recent developments with respect to risk, resilience, and interventions Health-related concerns among children and adolescents with ADD/ADHD Preventing risky sexual behavior in adolescents Violence affecting youth: pervasive and preventable Childhood and adolescent obesity Well-being of children in the foster care system Health Promotion for Children and Adolescents is a necessary text for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses in public health, education, medicine, psychology, health education, social work, curriculum, nutrition, and public affairs. It is also important reading for public health professionals; researchers in child health, health education, and child psychology; policymakers in education and public health; and teachers.

Safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children is a statutory duty for all nurses and midwives. This book helps equip student nurses and midwives with the confidence, knowledge and skills needed for working with families to support and protect children. It covers the full spectrum of safeguarding work, from professional issues such as boundaries and confidentiality through to attachment and communication.

Key features:

-A clear explanation of the policy and key theories informing safeguarding work. -Consideration of the common challenges you are likely to face, such as vulnerability in pregnancy, domestic violence and parenting capacity. -Reflective activities and case histories which help you to develop and enhance your own practice.

The book also considers multi-agency working and includes important coverage on professional issues like boundaries, confidentiality, referral and accountability. Written with clarity and accuracy, the authors have produced an important resource suitable for any nurse or midwife preparing to work with children and families.

As Puerto Rico rapidly industrialized from the late 1940s until the 1970s, the social, political, and economic landscape changed profoundly. In the realm of heath care, the development of medical education, new medical technologies, and a new faith in science radically redefined childbirth and its practice. What had traditionally been a home-based, family-oriented process, assisted by women and midwives and "accomplished" by mothers, became a medicalized, hospital-based procedure, "accomplished" and directed by biomedical, predominantly male, practitioners, and, ultimately reconfigured, after the 1980s, into a technocratic model of childbirth, driven by doctors' fears of malpractice suits and hospitals' corporate concerns. Pushing in Silence charts the medicalization of childbirth in Puerto Rico and demonstrates how biomedicine is culturally constructed within regional and historical contexts. Prior to 1950, registered midwives on the island outnumbered registered doctors by two to one, and they attended well over half of all deliveries. Isabel M. Cordova traces how, over the next quarter-century, midwifery almost completely disappeared as state programs led by scientifically trained experts and organized by bureaucratic institutions restructured and formalized birthing practices. Only after cesarean rates skyrocketed in the 1980s and 1990s did midwifery make a modest return through the practices of five newly trained midwives. This history, which mirrors similar patterns in the United States and elsewhere, adds an important new chapter to the development of medicine and technology in Latin America.

A young midwife's account of her training in the Midlands in the 1950s. A SUNDAY TIMES bestseller. It's 1957, and in a shattered post-war world, life goes on. Dot, a pupil midwife, negotiates the streets on her trusty old bicycle - come rain or shine - to help women in need. Living and working under the supervision of the strict Mrs O'Reilly, she must complete her training with twelve deliveries: there's Mrs Wardle who lives in a seedy slum; the eighth Clarke baby, born in an unusual place; the superstitious Wests, desperate for a boy; baby Murphy who is received with laughter; and brothel-worker Mrs Maloney. Amid lectures, textbooks and university dances, Dot must saddle up at any time of the day and night to attend deliveries. But just when she thinks she's got the measure of the job, fate deals her an unexpected hand...