Strength-based Practice with Children and Families

Angela Hodgkins has worked with children and families for 20 years in a range of settings and roles. She is now a senior lecturer at the University of Worcester and Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Integrated Working with Children and Families. Angela’s main research interests are empathy, emotional intelligence, and children’s rights. She is currently conducting research for a PhD, looking at early childhood practitioners’ perceptions of empathy within their role. Alison Prowle began her career as a primary school teacher where she first witnessed the effects of multiple disadvantages on outcomes for children. This sparked a passion for early intervention with families and young children, working within schools, children’s centres, the voluntary sector, and local government. Most recently Alison has been teaching, researching, and writing in the area of adverse childhood experiences, integrated working, parenting, and families at the University of Worcester.

This book is full of optimism and positivity, identifying how practitioners can find strengths even when working with those facing very challenging circumstances. At its heart is a commitment to identifying and fostering resilience, in order to progress to positive outcomes for families, children and young people. The book has a clear structure and format, and its visual elements ensure that information is presented with remarkable clarity. It promotes and supports careful reflection on practice and very effectively applies key concepts to real-life situations. Given the uncertainties in our world, faced by people across a full breadth of age ranges, this book is refreshing in its offer of hope.Professor Richard WoolleyHead of the School of Education, University of HullHuge congratulations to the authors of this invaluable book. They have brought together a range of perspectives from different and distinct areas of working with children, and their families, starting from conception and moving across childhood and youth. It is especially pleasing to see the often-overlooked middle childhood phase being given attention.I will take away many lessons from this book, the authors offer fresh insights and practical approaches to looking for the strengths in professional situations, and many of the practical suggestions will be helpful for personal preservation, and even self-improvement.The book is structured beautifully, with numerous diagrams and illustrations that enhance the accessibility of the content. This is a valuable resource for practitioners, it will be useful for students who are studying degrees related to professions in education, health and care, as well as being a useful teaching tool for lecturers. Very highly recommended, a great read.Dr Jackie MusgraveAssociate Head of School, School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS), OU

• Chapter 1: A glass half full: introducing our strength-based philosophy Chapter 2: Strength based practice in the first 1000 days (conception to age 2) Chapter 3: Strength based practice within the early years Chapter 4: Strength based practice in middle childhood Chapter 5: Strength based practice in youth services Chapter 6: Strength based practice with children and young people who have SEND Chapter 7: Strength based practice with parents and carers Chapter 8: Strength based practice with people who have suffered adverse life experiences Chapter 9: Strength based practice in safeguarding and child protection Chapter 10: Celebrating diversity as a strength Chapter 11: Strength-based leadership and management Chapter 12: Looking to the future with optimism and hope Index