This will be a concise and practical resource for a range of carers and practitioners working with children who experienced trauma. It will highlight their characteristics in contrast with those for children living in stability, and will describe specific techniques and strategies to help them in different environments and situations. The aim will be to equip practitioners with a range of approaches for these groups of vulnerable children, which are appropriate to sensitively meet their needs and make a difference to their emotional well-being. Key features: case studies; work-sheets; and, evidence-based interventions. It is authored by Dr Panos Vostanis, Professor of Child Psychiatry, University of Leicester; Consultant Child Psychiatrist, Leicestershire Child Mental Health Service.

Hope for Children of Trauma: An International Perspective synthesizes all the existing evidence, policy and practice from around the world for children and youth who have experienced different forms of complex trauma - such as abuse, neglect and war violence - and also presents a real advance in the literature, by covering new material from the author's extensive visits and collaborations in low and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The book covers a historical and research overview of developments in trauma and child mental health, global policy and evidence on the impact of trauma on child mental health. In particular, this book communicates real experiences through narratives and supporting photographic material from children in slum areas, orphanages or on the streets, and explores the application of therapeutic approaches by frontline practitioners, therapeutic interventions, service development and training programmes. Integrating testimonies, observations, therapeutic interventions and research findings, Hope for Children of Trauma shows how these problems can be addressed, and will be thought-provoking reading for child and adolescent mental health practitioners, NGOs and policy-makers.

Hope for Children of Trauma: An International Perspective synthesizes all the existing evidence, policy and practice from around the world for children and youth who have experienced different forms of complex trauma - such as abuse, neglect and war violence - and also presents a real advance in the literature, by covering new material from the author's extensive visits and collaborations in low and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The book covers a historical and research overview of developments in trauma and child mental health, global policy and evidence on the impact of trauma on child mental health. In particular, this book communicates real experiences through narratives and supporting photographic material from children in slum areas, orphanages or on the streets, and explores the application of therapeutic approaches by frontline practitioners, therapeutic interventions, service development and training programmes. Integrating testimonies, observations, therapeutic interventions and research findings, Hope for Children of Trauma shows how these problems can be addressed, and will be thought-provoking reading for child and adolescent mental health practitioners, NGOs and policy-makers.

This comprehensive guide provides overviews of the key psychological processes affecting mental health, such as development, attachment, emotion regulation and attention, and draws out the implications for preventive measures and promotion of emotional well-being. The authors, from a range of professional disciplines, emphasise the importance of early intervention and prevention, exploring in particular how initiatives in parenting and education can promote children's emotional well-being. The topics they cover include: * the prevention and management of addiction and eating disorders * the development of culturally sensitive services for ethnic minority children and families * the impact of parenting programmes and the life skills education programmes in schools * ways of meeting the mental health needs of children who are socially excluded, homeless or in local authority care. Providing examples of a broad range of projects and initiatives in Britain and other European countries, this handbook will be an invaluable resource for all professionals working in child and adolescent mental health.

This groundbreaking new book brings together policy, evidence, practice, service development and children's narrative to provide a far-reaching overview of this vulnerable and traumatised group. It combines powerfully written, moving scenarios and draws on evidence-based research to fully illustrate concepts and present practical ideas for change to interventions and services resulting in effective, sustainable practice. Theory and practice are interwoven, offering real solutions for anyone working with children. Everyone has a role and many opportunities to make a difference - at home, school and in the community. Any professional working with children will be inspired and educated by this outstanding, passionate text. The messages are universal and prove that approaches can no longer be thought of as mutually exclusive in today's complex life circumstances. 'I have learned over the last 2 to 3 years that no matter how hard life gets, there is always a way, and a very easy way, and that you should always take day by day. There might be a time when your day is bad, coz sometimes it goes wrong, but that will only change if we look for the help/support that is out there! And little steps will amaze you, how helpful they are.' SARAH PAYNE, aged 18 'Many children's stories that we will encounter are not nice, far from it; they have been brought out by abhorrent acts, and the feelings they instil are unpalatable. This is how they are meant to be. What I am seeking is connectedness and understanding, not sympathy or pity. Hearts and minds together can bring change; we desperately need both...Traumatised children's fragility and determination go hand in hand; we inevitably mirror both, as we constantly struggle to move with them from Despair to Hope.' Panos Vostanis, in the Preface

An increasing number of families are becoming homeless, often as a result of domestic violence, which leaves women and their school age children without homes. This multidisciplinary volume is the first to look at the variety of problems encountered by this group and to propose strategies for managing those problems. The contributors to this book provide evidence that homeless children often have more acute problems and needs than other children; as a result of the insecurity of their situation, they may experience physical health problems and developmental delay. They are also at high risk of emotional and behavioral difficulties such as sleep disturbance, eating problems, aggression, over-activity, anxiety, depression and self-harm. At the same time, due to their unstable situation, they are less able to access support from the health, education and social services. Homeless Children is divided into two parts. Part I defines the specific problems and needs of homeless children, and draws up practical guidelines for staff and agencies on recognizing and dealing with those problems. Part II looks at policy and service development for homeless families in education, health and social care, and concludes that conventional methods of provision have to be adapted to meet the specific needs of this vulnerable group.