Teresa Thornhill is a recently retired child protection barrister who has practised both at the bar of England and Wales and in-house within various local authority legal departments, representing parents, children and social workers.Her previous books include Hara Hotel: The Refugee Journey from Syria to Greece: A Tale of Syrian Refugees in Greece, Sweet Tea with Cardamom: A Journey through Iraqi Kurdistan, and The Curtain Maker of Beirut: Conversations with the Lebanese.Teresa paints and is a keen long-distance walker.

'This thought provoking book should be ‘required reading’ for all involved in the safeguarding of children and young people in England today. The author has had a lifetime of hard-earned experience in working as a lawyer in the Family Court. She distils this experience into a comprehensive yet easily readable account of how the Court operates, illustrating the processes with case histories of the experiences of such children. Her empathy and compassion for them shines through as do her positive suggestions for improving the care and best interests of highly vulnerable families.' Professor Sir Al Aynsley – Green Kt, former first Children’s Commissioner for England and Professor Emeritus, University College London.'This is a brave, compelling, sometimes times angry account of the professional and personal life of a childcare barrister, who is also a mother, working in the Family courts over a period of 30 years…At times uplifting, at times depressing, I thoroughly recommend this book for childcare practitioners, those who work in the Family Law system – and those who don’t but want to know more.' Sarah Forster, retired Deputy District Judge

Teresa Thornhill is a recently retired child protection barrister who has practised both at the bar of England and Wales and in-house within various local authority legal departments, representing parents, children and social workers.Her previous books include Hara Hotel: The Refugee Journey from Syria to Greece: A Tale of Syrian Refugees in Greece, Sweet Tea with Cardamom: A Journey through Iraqi Kurdistan, and The Curtain Maker of Beirut: Conversations with the Lebanese.Teresa paints and is a keen long-distance walker.

'This thought provoking book should be ‘required reading’ for all involved in the safeguarding of children and young people in England today. The author has had a lifetime of hard-earned experience in working as a lawyer in the Family Court. She distils this experience into a comprehensive yet easily readable account of how the Court operates, illustrating the processes with case histories of the experiences of such children. Her empathy and compassion for them shines through as do her positive suggestions for improving the care and best interests of highly vulnerable families.' Professor Sir Al Aynsley – Green Kt, former first Children’s Commissioner for England and Professor Emeritus, University College London.'This is a brave, compelling, sometimes times angry account of the professional and personal life of a childcare barrister, who is also a mother, working in the Family courts over a period of 30 years…At times uplifting, at times depressing, I thoroughly recommend this book for childcare practitioners, those who work in the Family Law system – and those who don’t but want to know more.' Sarah Forster, retired Deputy District Judge