Use mindfulness and reflection to improve the quality of care for vulnerable children

Mindful Therapeutic Care for Children is an accessible guide to using mindfulness and reflection to improve the quality of care for vulnerable children.

Drawing on ideas from attachment theory and neuroscience, Mindful Therapeutic Care for Children explains terms like mindfulness and reflective practice, their importance in the therapeutic care of children and how the theory behind them can provide a key to understanding children's behaviour. This book discusses how the mental and emotional environment around children affects them, and how practising mindfulness can help us generate more supportive environments. The author also features an 'Awareness Pentagon' model for reflective practice, an original tool developed through her training designed to help you to approach cases critically and to focus more effectively on the child's needs.

This practical book provides psychologists, therapists, social workers and other professionals working with children, as well as foster carers and adoptive parents with useful tools to develop their capacity for mindful care.

"This book takes what is known about the value of reflective practice, drawing on the principles of mindfulness, and applies it directly to the world of residential childcare. The approach is strongly underpinned by relevant theory, including attachment, child development, trauma, social pedagogy, social learning theory, neuropsychology, neurobiology and, of course, mindfulness... every children's home should have access to a copy of this book. The deeper reflection that will be prompted will be hugely valuable for frontline care staff providing a supporting role to teams via supervision, training or consultation. This guide will help practitioners make a case for creating and protecting valuable reflection time, both individually and as a team... In summary, this book clearly sets out what reflective practice is and how to implement it in real terms, underpinned by information about why it is important and how it will help practitioners and the children they care for." - Children & Young People Now

"It is an extremely useful tool in assisting reflective practice. This is a thin book and written in a light accessible style... This book is a highly welcome and useful publication that will assist a wide variety of professionals and people who come into contact with children who have experienced trauma... I strongly recommend that this book be read by social workers, social carers and everyone who has contact with children whether traumatised or not... This book provides the reader with practical and useful tools." - IASU (Irish Association of Social Workers)

"

This is first and foremost a book about
reflective practice with mindfulness as an
important starting point to an individual's
ability to be reflective... is thoughtful and thought provoking... this book would be a useful resource for any professionals
working with children, at any level of
experience, who want to develop a more
reflective approach to their practice and as a
reminder of why this is such an important
aspect of our work with vulnerable children
and young people.