With cross-cultural perspectives from contributors in nine countries, this book showcases much-needed research on current issues around migration and social work in Europe. Focusing on the reception, experiences and integration of refugees and asylum seekers, the chapters also consider the impact of recent EU policies on borders and integration. With racism on the rise in some European societies, the book foregrounds international social work values as a common framework to face discriminatory practice at macro and micro levels. Featuring recommendations for inclusive practice that 'opens doors', this book features the voices of migrants and the practitioners aiding their inclusion in new societies.

An absorbing tale of the strength and heartbreak of family ties - Winter, 1940. Anna MacRae is only five years old when her mother dies in childbirth and she is left with twin baby sisters. Anna is a gifted child, with a warm personality to match, but not so her sisters - and as, through the years, their pranks turn to stealing, bullying and worse, Anna must learn to cope with them if she is ever to find happiness of her own.

"Eccentricity is the family byword for the Compton-Milnes - "The Compton-Milnes are eccentric, to say the least. A marriage between Gus, a reclusive but brilliant professor, and Lisa, a promiscuous cosmetic surgery addict, has produced Ben, an OCD-riddled genius, and his self-sacrificing sister Harriet, while Gus's acerbic invalid mother rules over them all from her attic throne room. But when Lisa's lover turns on her, the family must pull together to survive . . .

With cross-cultural perspectives from contributors in nine countries, this book showcases much-needed research on current issues around migration and social work in Europe. Focusing on the reception, experiences and integration of refugees and asylum seekers, the chapters also consider the impact of recent EU policies on borders and integration. With racism on the rise in some European societies, the book foregrounds international social work values as a common framework to face discriminatory practice at macro and micro levels. Featuring recommendations for inclusive practice that ‘opens doors’, this book features the voices of migrants and the practitioners aiding their inclusion in new societies.

"Eccentricity is the family byword for the Compton-Milnes - "The Compton-Milnes are eccentric, to say the least. A marriage between Gus, a reclusive but brilliant professor, and Lisa, a promiscuous cosmetic surgery addict, has produced Ben, an OCD-riddled genius, and his self-sacrificing sister Harriet, while Gus's acerbic invalid mother rules over them all from her attic throne room. But when Lisa's lover turns on her, the family must pull together to survive . . .

An absorbing tale of the strength and heartbreak of family ties - Winter, 1940. Anna MacRae is only five years old when her mother dies in childbirth and she is left with twin baby sisters. Anna is a gifted child, with a warm personality to match, but not so her sisters - and as, through the years, their pranks turn to stealing, bullying and worse, Anna must learn to cope with them if she is ever to find happiness of her own.

In 1946, Alice Quigley returns to her childhood home on Penny Lane, having lost three sisters and her house in Bootle to the bombs that fell over Liverpool. Estranged from her husband Dan, who suffered from two strokes triggered during the Blitz, she finds comfort in living closer to her remaining sister, Nellie, and a cast of new neighbours. But they too have problems of their own: Vera Corcoran fears for her life at the hands of an abusive husband and Olga Konstantinov fled Russia to seek a new life in Britain. But even though the bombs have stopped falling, tremors still rock the family when Alice's reviled mother is kicked out of Nellie's home and seeks vengeance. Despised by her daughters, Elsie Stewart was a cruel mother and forced their father to an early grave. Alice is desperate to start a family of her own and be a much better example to her own children. But will this be with the man she's married to? And when visions from the past resurface, she soon uncovers a dark secret that her mother has kept hidden for so long . . .

The moving and emotional final novel from bestselling author Ruth Hamilton. In Ruth Hamilton's For the Love of Liverpool, Kate Owen is a woman fleeing from the past. Leaving a rewarding job in London, she's uprooted her life and given away her daughter to keep them both safe. Damaged from a traumatic event that broke her family apart, she attempts to find peace in the city she now calls home: Liverpool. It's there she meets the seemingly eligible Alex Price, who offers her a glimpse of a happy future she thought could never exist. But there are those in London who can never forget what she did and, worse, believe she holds the key to the unfinished business she left behind in the capital. They intend to track her down by whatever means necessary and until they're gone she will never find peace and be reunited with her daughter. Growing closer to Alex, the layers of their lives are peeled away and Kate realizes he is also hurting from painful memories and might well be as damaged as her. Will they ever find happiness together in Liverpool? Or will the past forever haunt them?

The O'Neils, who have lost brothers and sons into the bowels of London's East End, keep watch over their one remaining young male, a boy named Seamus. Hardworking and good-hearted, they cling together and help each other, and a whole community. Meanwhile, Rosh Allen mourns the loss of Phil, her dearly-beloved husband. Aided and impeded by her mother, Anna, she struggles to raise three fatherless children. With the help of a kind-hearted neighbour, her wounds begin to heal, and she begins to take the first faltering steps into 'normality'. Tess and Don Compton are on the verge of separation. An apparently greedy and selfish woman, Tess wants a semi-detached house, and all her own way. But what really lies behind her desire to live on the posh side of the street. Behind the three families, two men are at work. One will do serious damage; the other will reunite a clan that goes all the way back to Ireland and to ancestors thrown ashore from the ships of the Spanish Armada. Brilliant storytelling that is perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries' The Four Streets or Maureen Lee.

Scotland Road would never be the same . . . In 1955 the residents of Scotland Road fear for their futures when government plans threaten to demolish their street and tear apart their community. Polly's Parlour cafe is the centre for resistance, where strategies are formed to fight back. But when local priest Father Brennan attacks little Billy Blunt, minds are instead turned to vengeance. Frank Charleson, business entrepreneur turned local hero after saving Billy's life, finds himself increasingly fond of Polly Kennedy. But his past won't leave him. After his mother's harsh behaviour towards his previous wife, can he put Polly through the same? Polly has a hard enough life as it is. With her work in the cafe and her beloved twin brother to care for, she has all but given up on having a family of her own. But can Frank provide the support she needs? And is Polly strong enough to keep their community together?

NOT EVEN THE BOMBS THAT DESTROYED THEIR CITY COULD BREAK THEIR SPIRIT ... Three generations of strong, determined women and the war that threatened to tear them apart. In the backstreets of Liverpool, Eileen Watson lives with her mother, Nellie, daughter Mel and her three tear-away sons. Life isn't great, but they have eachother, and family can get you through anything. Or...can it? Then, on the third day in September 1939, Britain declares war on Germany and their lives change forever. The children have to be evacuated, but daughter Mel refuses to go, and so Eileen says goodbye to het mother and sons, moves away from the street they love and faces a future without most of the people in her precious family. Thus begins a journey for them all. A journey filled with forbidden love, tragedy and the terrifying sounds of a city they love crumbling into craters left by the Luftwaffe. Their lives will never be the same again ...

In 1946, Alice Quigley returns to her childhood home on Penny Lane, having lost three sisters and her house in Bootle to the bombs that fell over Liverpool. Estranged from her husband Dan, who suffered from two strokes triggered during the Blitz, she finds comfort in living closer to her remaining sister, Nellie, and a cast of new neighbours. But they too have problems of their own: Vera Corcoran fears for her life at the hands of an abusive husband and Olga Konstantinov fled Russia to seek a new life in Britain. But even though the bombs have stopped falling, tremors still rock the family when Alice's reviled mother is kicked out of Nellie's home and seeks vengeance. Despised by her daughters, Elsie Stewart was a cruel mother and forced their father to an early grave. Alice is desperate to start a family of her own and be a much better example to her own children. But will this be with the man she's married to? And when visions from the past resurface, she soon uncovers a dark secret that her mother has kept hidden for so long . . .

What possible connections might exist between an aged man who used to sell shoes, some ladies of the night, three abused schoolboys, two nuns, two police officers, a philanthropist, a serial killer, a drugs cartel, Lime Street Station and a mansion in Southport in whose grounds donkeys and horses are kept? The answer lies in love, friendship and the determination to endure all the way to the winning post. Eve, owner and madam at Meadowbank Farm, is keen to secure a deal that keeps her in pocket and her clients happy. But is she a match for Babs, a 'Baby Girl' in this house of ill repute? Babs has her own agenda, and in order to fulfil her dream of a decent life, she must first overcome Madam Eve. Meanwhile, a deranged killer walks the Dock Road. 'Inspired' by a vision, he seeks to clean up Liverpool. When he finds Eve's farm, he plans to cast his net on what promises to be a great catch.

Leanne Chalmers has made a career for herself presenting her own style of home decorating and design on the nation's screens. That was her past life, at least. For now Leanne has been forced to start again as Lily, leaving her name, job and marriage behind. No-one in the Lancashire village of Eagleton has a clue about Lily, save that she's come up from the South West with her best friend and a small child. But it's hard to lead a solitary existence in a small place, and Lily and Babs are swiftly embraced by some of the local characters: Mike, the Catholic priest, who the girls can't help noticing is easy on the eye; Eve, a Liverpudlian, who has a big mouth but a heart of gold; the hairdressers Paul and Maurice; and Dave and his love, Philly, both shy yet determined not to be cowed by Dave's mother, the domineering matriarch of the village. Soon, Lily's new life is full of promise and as she joins Dave's reading room, a shop come cafe and library, she begins to relax. But then Eve is wounded in a burglary, and suddenly, Lily is afraid that her secret is out: her husband Clive may have discovered where she is, and, having left her for dead before, is now out to kill her... Full of Ruth Hamilton's unique warmth and humour, THE READING ROOM is a rich, compelling novel of love, life and courage.

Agnes Makepeace has always been courageous and strong-minded and on the surface, she couldn't be more unlike the chilly, reserved Helen Spencer. Agnes knows there is a mystery to her own background and is determined to discover the truth about her past. She believes the key to unlock the secret is held with husband's employer, Judge Zachary Spencer of Lambert House - a mean-spirited widower and solitary man. Judge Spencer has long neglected his daughter, Helen and notices her even less when he takes a new wife. But he has underestimated both the extent of his daughter's misery and her determination to enact her revenge. Helen's new-found confidence causes her to behave in a way that will have a lasting, and shocking impact on both families and, surprisingly, leads to a lifelong friendship with Agnes. Yet it is only when the broodingly silent house on Skirlaugh Rise ceases to hold its breath and deliver the answers that Agnes has been seeking that she can finally find the peace of mind she has always longed for.

At the age of 45, Lucy Henshaw has finally left home. Her decision to go has been reached neither lightly nor suddenly, since her marriage has been broken for some eighteen years. However, as the mother of twin sons and a daughter, Lucy has felt it her duty to stay as a couple in the family house she was born in near Bolton, giving her children the security she knows they need. Now that her family is grown, content in the knowledge that she loves them, Lucy decides she is free to leave. She secretly purchases a beautiful house overlooking the Mersey, near Liverpool, and there she plans to start afresh. Within hours, she has met some characters: her new neighbour Moira, who is disabled and dying, and sees Lucy as the ideal new companion for her husband, Richard; Shirley Bishop, built like a battleship and a cleaner extraordinaire, towing her several-inches-shorter husband as a handy gardener behind her; and Dr David Vincent, who is grieving for the loss of his young son. It is soon apparent that Lucy need have no anxieties about being lonely. It is these new friends, too, who come to Lucy's rescue when her husband Alan, falls ill. Always a wastrel and fraudster who has tried to control her, his illness only seems to offer him another opportunity to complicate Lucy's life all over again. Mersey View is a compelling and gritty novel set in Liverpool, and is a wonderful story, rich with warmth and humour, by a much-loved storyteller at the height of her powers.

To save a child, they would sacrifice everything . . . Comfortably settled into his expatriate life in post-war Britain, Headmaster Theodore's secrets are set to remain deeply buried. Until she breezes in. Tia Bellamy: vivacious, intriguing, a nuisance. Tia cuts through his reserve and, for the first time in years, Theodore finds himself able to confront his past and reveal the events carved into his heart and seared into his soul. Together, they form a strong bond with the residents of the Lady Streets, closely befriending Maggie Stone and her granddaughter, Rosie. But Rosie's mother has issues of her own and Tia and Theodore soon realize that little Rosie might be in danger. Unable to protect the child, they decide to take drastic action . . .

Letting go of the past to grasp the future . . . Andrew Sanderson, brilliant surgeon and renowned musician, is still grieving the death of his beloved wife Mary when his younger daughter turns up on the doorstep having left her wealthy and philandering husband. It's not long before the house is overrun with daughters, grandchildren, sons-in-law and a boisterous stray dog called Storm. At Andrew's time of life, is this really what he needs? One thing is sure, home is a lot more interesting than it once was. As he reminisces about his past and the love he once shared with his wife, Andrew starts to realize that there is indeed a new road to be travelled; he just has to let go of his grief and embrace tomorrow...

This heart-wrenching, moving and emotional saga full of twists and turns and highlighting the importance of love and understanding by the Sunday Times bestselling author Ruth Hamilton is a must - read for fans of Catherine Cookson, Dilly Court and Josephine Cox. "I believe that Ruth Hamilton is very much the successor to Catherine Cookson. Her books are plot driven, they just rip along; laughs, weeps, love, they've got the lot, and they're quality writing as well" -- SARAH BROADHURST, RADIO FOUR "This book kept me enthralled to the very last page" -- ***** Reader review "A riveting read. Couldn't put it down." -- ***** Reader review "As always an impeccable story by Ruth, sadness, happiness and in between hilarious wit. A must read book which you will be loathe to put down." -- ***** Reader review "A truly superb book" -- ***** Reader review **************************************************************************** WILL ONE FRIENDSHIP CHANGE THINGS FOREVER? Despite her strict 1950s Catholic upbringing, Madeleine Horrocks, doesn't understand why religion seems to force people apart. But her friend Amy has been brought up to believe that mixing with other religions results in eternal damnation, and when Maddy becomes friendly with George, a local, good-looking Jewish boy, Amy fears the worst. But as they grow up she, too, becomes friends with George, as well as with other young teenagers who meet secretly at the Bell House, an ancient place of burial. When a body is found in the nearby reservoir they all become threatened by tragedy and danger. Meanwhile, Father Sheahan, the whisky-soaked priest from the local church, has discovered that his secret past is catching up with him. Bigotry, lust and hatred have been so much a part of this community that it takes the combined forces of young and old - and particularly George's formidable grandmother Yuspeh - to bring everyone together and move forward positively.