John Diamond

Key words: Separation; Attachment; Loss; shame; alternative families; kith and kin In a previous article, “The Long-Term Effects of Separation and Loss on Sibling Relationships”, I shared a dawning awareness of an issue that arose during a walk in the woods with Ruth, my wife, during the first Covid 19 lock-down in the UK. Because … Read more

“The staff need to believe in those children; to give them a chance and have confidence in them”: Survivor Recommendations from the Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project, Cambodia James Havey, Glenn Miles, Lim Vantheary, Nhanh Channtha, Sreang Phaly, Ou Sopheara, Pheouk Phallen, Kang Chimey, and Wayne Hancock Introduction The Butterfly Longitudinal Reintegration Research Project … Read more

Introduction. ‘The Mulberry Bush School (MBS) works with some of the most challenging children in the country, and with their families and carers. Our aim is to help the children and their families thrive and achieve fulfilling lives within their communities and as part of society.’ (MBS website, 2021) To enable the school to provide … Read more

Within this assignment I have chosen to explore whether therapeutic youth work which is informed by mental health and wellbeing principles can help build confidence and resilience in children and young people. I am writing this from my perspective as a Service Manager for Amicus Foster Care, an independent fostering provider. “Amicus supports families to … Read more

We have come a long way from the time when it was said that everything a child said about abuse and abusers was to be believed.  While a child’s well-being and interests are paramount, and everything a child says is listened to and taken seriously, things are more complex than that. But it is well … Read more

For those separated from parents, annual events such as Mothering Sunday or Father’s Day can be troubling, even cruel occasions. I recall the time in Cambridge when a daughter shared with me the dilemma posed by a Mother’s Day card.  She regularly sent birthday and Christmas cards to the mother who had abandoned her to … Read more

It all happened as we were getting ready to walk back to our house from the beach we tend to think of as our own at Borth y Gest. We have been holidaying here since 1976, and there must have been a huge number of different sandcastles and sand-creations on the beach since then.  Most … Read more

In this essay, I will look at the results of a survey carried out by my employer last year to assess the effectiveness of the school’s approach to racism within the organization, and the support offered to staff and children from BAME backgrounds within the organization. I would like to acknowledge that it was asked … Read more

Review of Nobody’s Child: The True Story of Growing up in a Yorkshire Children’s Home, by G. J. Urquhart (Cheltenham: The History Press, 2020) Gloria Urquhart was born in 1946 and her story of life in a Yorkshire children’s home is set mostly in the period of the Children’s Departments in England from 1948 to … Read more

By Patrick James Reason, founder and director of the NGO Associação Beneficente Encontro com Deus and National Secretary of the Brazilian Movement for the Rights of Children and Adolescents to live in Family and Community. Brief Description This article presents the joint protection method of care for vulnerable and at risk children and adolescents together … Read more

I am writing this piece primarily because I never want to forget some of the things that happened on Friday 4th June 2021 at Mill Grove. It had already been a memorable week because the day before one of the children who comes regularly for physiotherapy took his first steps unaided.  I had been passing … Read more

It was the Spring Bank holiday, and with Covid restrictions still in place, we couldn’t go with our usual custom and practice and have a barbecue with an open house.  So we opted to be around and let things happen: no plans, except for having a pizza or two in reserve. As we were welcoming … Read more