Adoptive and Foster Parent Screening: a Professional Guide for Evaluations. James Dickerson & Mardi Allen, $42.50

Adoptive and Foster Parent Screening meshes the best of psychology and social work experience into a definitive guide for screening adoption and foster home applicants.

The Anxiety Workbook for Teens. Lisa Schab, $19.95

About one in four teens suffers from mild to serious problems with anxiety, and many of them get little or no help. This workbook gives teens a collection of tools to help control anxiety and develop insight into their problems as well as offering practical guidance for overcoming them. Professional Version, $39.95 — Includes workbook and a digital copy of workbook on CD-ROM for easy printing.

Attachment-Focused Parenting: Effective Strategies to Care for Children. Daniel Hughes, $40.00

An expert clinician brings attachment theory into the realm of parenting skills. Attachment security and affect regulation have long been buzzwords in therapy circles, but rarely are they effectively applied to basic parenting skills. Here, a leading attachment specialist brings attachment work inside the therapy room to the outside, equipping caregivers with practical parenting techniques rooted in attachment theory and research.

The Bean Seed. Judith Bush & Robert Spottswood, $14.95 (ages 4-8)

A picture book for children in foster care or adoptive families, The Bean Seed tells the story of a little bean who is lonely, mistrustful and neglected. With the loving care of a gardener who takes the time to nurture him, the bean starts to grow and thrive and set down roots while reaching for the sun.

The Best Interests of Children: an Evidence-Based Approach. Paul Millar, $24.95

The best interest of the child is an overriding principle in all matters of family law, especially in child custody cases. The Best Interests of Children links social theory with survey data to establish much-needed parameters for determining a child's best interest. It provides important criteria for determining the best interest of the child and concludes that the role of law in the lives of children must be to preserve their connections with those that love them.

Building the Bonds of Attachment: Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children, 2nd Edition. Daniel Hughes, Book $50.95

Building a Home Within: Meeting the Emotional Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care. Toni Vaughn Heineman & Diane Whrensaft, $33.95

With a combined emphasis on biological, psychological, and social aspects that sets it apart from other books on the subject, this candid and compelling resource will help therapists fully address the emotional needs of children and adolescents in foster care.

Child Poverty and the Canadian Welfare State: from Entitlement to Charity. Shereen Ismael, $34.95

Child Poverty and the Canadian Welfare State examines at the scope of child poverty in Canada and looks to understand the changes in social policy and culture that have normalized the existence of child poverty in a wealthy society like Canada.

Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice. Kathleen Kufeldt, & Brad McKenzie, editors, $45.00

In 1994 a group of researchers and decision makers met to discuss the state of child welfare. Also present were a few practitioners and two youth in care. Six years later, when they met again, the number of practitioners and youth had grown considerably and were joined by a strong contingent of foster parents. Thus the findings and insights presented were affirmed or challenged by those most affected — those on the front line. It was an exciting event, worth capturing in book form. Kathleen Kufeldt and Brad McKenzie have gathered the papers presented at the 2000 Symposium … An analysis and synthesis of the work informs … while an eight-point research agenda developed in an earlier symposium is used to assess developments to date and provide guidance for the future. The richness of the information will interest all helping professionals, researchers, and students.

Children and Adolescents in Trauma: Creative Therapeutic Approaches. Chris Nicholson, Michael Irwin & Kedar Nath Dwivedi, $34.95

Children and Adolescents in Trauma presents a variety of creative approaches to working with young people in residential children's homes, secure or psychiatric units, and special schools.

The contributors describe a wide range of approaches, including art therapy and literature, and how creative methods are applied in cases of abuse, trauma, violence, self-harm and identity development. They discuss the impact of abuse and mistreatment upon the mental health of 'looked after' children, drawing links between psychoanalytic theory and practice and the study of literature and the arts.

Children Who Commit Acts of Serious Interpersonal Violence: Messages for Best Practice. Edited by Ann Hagell & Renuka Jeyarajah-Dent, $36.95

Children Who Commit Acts of Serious Interpersonal Violence explores risk management and successful intervention for children in public care who have committed, or are at risk of committing, acts of serious violence … The book proposes strategies for effectively managing these children, drawing evidence from international practice and research projects. It highlights the limitations of current structures and makes recommendations for future development.

Connecting with Kids through Stories: Using Narratives to Facilitate Attachment in Adopted Children. Denise Lacher, Todd Nichols & Joanne May, $24.95

Children whose early development has been damaged by abuse or neglect are notoriously difficult to reach … Connecting with Kids through Stories is an accessible guide to Family Attachment Narrative Therapy for the parents of adopted or fostered children, and for the professionals who work with them. Providing a thorough theoretical grounding, and detailed information on therapeutic techniques and how to assess progress, the book shows parents how to create their own therapeutic stories to promote increased attachment and improved behavior in their child. The authors describe how different kinds of narratives can help with specific difficulties and illustrate their techniques with the story of a fictional family who develop their own narratives to help their adopted child heal.

Dancing Through the Snow. Jean Little, $19.99

Min has nothing. No mother. No birth certificate. No baby pictures. Not even a real birthday. The Children’s Aid people just gave her a fake birthday — the date she was found — not seeming to realize it was also the day she was lost. Now, after four different foster families, Min’s not surprised when she’s dumped back with Children’s Aid the week before Christmas. Still, a small part of her can’t help aching for a miracle … and now she’s found an injured dog that needs a miracle too.

The Defiant Child: a Parent’s Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Douglas Riley, $17.50

The Defiant Child guides readers through the difficulties of raising a child or teenager who is attempting to ignore or defeat them at every turn. While it explains how defiant children and teens think, delving deeply into the mistaken ideas that lead them to believe that it is safe to ignore parents and challenge their authority, its chief purpose is to provide parents with a step-by-step plan to regain peace and harmony in the family.

Developing Attachment: Family Therapy Examples Part 1 – Adolescents. Daniel Hughes, $99.95

Developing Attachment: Family Therapy Examples Part 2 – Children. Daniel Hughes, $99.95

Developing Attachment: Family Therapy Examples Part 3 – Parents. Daniel Hughes, $99.95

Developing Attachment: Family Therapy Examples 3 DVD Set. Daniel Hughes, $279.95

Developing Attachment: Family Therapy Examples is a three-part DVD series presenting the attachment-focused treatment model developed by Dr. Daniel Hughes.  Part 1 introduces attachment and inter-subjectivity that guides Dr. Hughes' model of treatment, and demonstrates this model in two therapy sessions with adolescents and their parents.  Volume 2 looks at therapy with children and their parents and volume 3 focuses on therapy with the parents alone. 

See also:

• Attachment-Focused Family Therapy. Daniel Hughes.
• Attachment-Focused Parenting: Effective Strategies to Care for Children. Daniel Hughes.
• Building the Bonds of Attachment: a DVD Presentation with Daniel Hughes.
• Facilitating Developmental Attachment: the Road to Emotional Recovery and Behavioral Change in Foster and Adopted Children. Daniel Hughes.

Most interventions for at-risk youth are group based. Yet, research indicates that young people often learn to become deviant by interacting with deviant peers. In this important volume, leading intervention and prevention experts from psychology, education, criminology, and related fields analyze how, and to what extent, programs that aggregate deviant youth actually promote problem behavior. A wealth of evidence is reviewed on deviant peer influences in such settings as therapy groups, alternative schools, boot camps, group homes, and juvenile justice facilities. Specific suggestions are offered for improving existing services, and promising alternative approaches are explored.

Effective Strategies for Reactive Attachment and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Eric Guy, $99.95 Audio CD (5 disc set)

This CD series looks at brain development and the stress model. The series also explores critical components in the diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, offering insights into why children act out, and what you can do to help them succeed.

Families Change: a Book for Children Experiencing Termination of Parental Rights. Julie Nelson, illustrated by Mary Gallagher, $10.95

All families change over time. Sometimes a baby is born, or a grown-up gets married. And sometimes a child gets a new foster parent or a new adopted mom or dad. Children need to know that when this happens, it’s not their fault. They need to understand that they can remember and value their birth family and love their new family, too. Straightforward words and full-color illustrations offer hope and support for children facing or experiencing change. Includes resources and information for birth parents, foster parents, social workers, counselors, and teachers.

Finding the Right Spot: When Kids Can’t Live with Their Parents. Janice Levy, illustrated by Whitney Martin, $11.50 ages 6-12

Finding the Right Spot is a story for kids who can’t live with their parents, regardless of the circumstances. It’s a story about resilience and loyalty, hope and disappointment, love, sadness and anger too.

Fostering Changes: Myth, Meaning and Magic Bullets in Attachment Theory, 3rd Edition. Richard Delaney, $26.50

A practical and realistic book for those who care for, treat, and live with emotionally disturbed foster, kinship, or adopted children who historically have often been the victims of abuse and/or neglect. Focus is placed on understanding children from troubled backgrounds and on helping them to feel more secure, worthy of care giving, and willing to accept parents as partners in their life.

Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications, 2nd Edition. Edited by Jude Cassidy & Phillip Shaver, $143.95

This comprehensive work is more than just the standard reference on attachment — it has become indispensable in the field. Coverage includes the origins and development of attachment theory; biological and evolutionary perspectives; and the role of attachment processes in personality, relationships, and mental health across the lifespan. The second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to incorporate significant recent advances in theory, research, and clinical applications.

Healing Parents: Helping Wounded Children Learn to Trust & Love. Michael Orlans & Terry Levy, $38.95

Attachment is the deep connection that children and parents/caregivers establish early in life. This connection is basic to every aspect of a child’s emotional, social and cognitive development. Healing Parents is a toolbox filled with practical strategies and research that help parents and caregivers understand their child, learn to respond in a constructive way, and create a healthy environment. Readers will learn to develop their child’s positive beliefs and establish trust by emphasizing respect, providing appropriate limits, consistent structure, and being a positive role model.

Michael Orlans and Terry Levy, authors of the best-selling Attachment, Trauma and Healing (1998), have created a guide designed to provide the information, tools, support, self-awareness and hope needed to help a wounded child heal emotional wounds and improve behaviorally, socially, and morally.

The Hope-Filled Parent: Meditations for Foster and Adoptive Parents of Children Who Have Been Harmed. Michael Trout, $20.95 CD format

This series of meditations is designed to help foster and adoptive parents maintain calm, focus and strength during the most challenging moments of life with a challenging child.

I Bet I Won't Fret: a Workbook to Help Children with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Timothy Sisemore, $19.95; professional version with CD-ROM, $29.95

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders in children. It is important to recognize and treat anxiety in kids early, before these problems develop into serious, lifelong conditions. I Bet I Won’t Fret offers parents a range of proven-effective techniques that can support and accelerate any treatment. These activities can be done on their own or as part of a therapy program, and are appropriate for kids between the ages of six and twelve.

Companion workbook for professionals: Tools & Techniques for Children with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Timothy Sisemore, $45.00, includes a CD-ROM of printable forms and hand-outs.

I’d Rather Be with a Real Mom Who Loves Me: a Story for Foster Children. Michael Gordon, $13.95

Reading this book to children placed in foster care will make it clear that many of the thoughts or feelings they experience are normal, rather than odd or shameful.

Jakeman. Deborah Ellis, $11.95 (novel, pre-teen)

Jake and his sister Shoshona have been in foster care since their single mother was arrested three years before. Both have found their own ways to cope: Shoshona has become a bossy mother figure; Jake, who is a budding comic book artist, has created an alter ego named Jakeman. Four times a year Jake and his sister take the long overnight journey through New York State to visit their mother in jail - along with an assortment of nervous, angry, and damaged kids on the way to visit their own mothers.

But this trip will be like no other trip they've ever taken.

The Kids are All Right: a Memoir. Diana Welch, Liz Welch, Dan Welch & Amanda Welch, $29.99

Perfect is boring.” Well, 1983 certainly wasn't boring for the Welch family. Somehow, between their handsome father’s mysterious death, their glamorous soap opera star mother’s cancer diagnosis, and a phalanx of lawyers intent on bankruptcy proceedings, the four Welch siblings managed to handle each new heartbreaking misfortune together. But all that changed with the death of their mother. While nineteen year-old Amanda was legally on her own, the three younger siblings—Liz, 16; Dan, 14 and Diana, 8—were each dispersed to a different set of family friends.

Told in the alternating voices of the four siblings, this memoir tells their poignant, harrowing story of growing up as lost souls, taking disastrous turns along the way, but eventually coming out right side up.

Learning to Listen, Learning to Care: a Workbook to Help Kids Learn Self-Control and Empathy. Lawrence Shapiro, $19.95; professional version with CD-ROM, $29.95

In Learning to Listen, Learning to Care. children learn why it is important to follow rules and behave considerately toward others. The activities cultivate empathy which contributes not just to good behavior, but to academic and social success. Emotional intelligence and behavioral skills are reinforced by additional thought-provoking questions. These activities can be done on their own or as part of a therapy program, and are appropriate for kids between the ages of six and twelve.

Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses, a Memoir. Paula McLain, $22.95

Like Family tells the story of three young sisters who are abandoned by their mother and father and raised as wards of the Fresno County, California, court. McLain's unflinching recollection of being shuttled from foster home to foster home strikes a universal chord, capturing the loneliness, uncertainty, and odd pleasures that are the very nature of adolescence.

Living Alongside a Child's Recovery: Therapeutic Parenting with Traumatized Children. Billy Pughe & Terry Philpot, $33.95

Living Alongside a Child's Recovery asserts that a good understanding of child development and attachment theory is essential to effective therapeutic parenting of a traumatized child, and the book details the roots of trauma as well as the impact this has on a child's ability to maintain normal family bonds, whether with birth parents, foster parents or with staff in a residential setting. It also explains the practicalities of carrying out effective therapeutic parenting, including how to design a therapeutic physical environment, the importance of routine and security, how to approach issues of hygiene and organizing mealtimes. The authors examine individual and group work settings, and also explore transitions; how to manage a child's move to a permanent placement while at the same time ensuring that their needs are prioritized.

Looking After Children. Raymond Lemay & Hayat Ghazal, $25.00

Looking After Children is an assessment and planning approach for children and youth in out of home care, first developed in the UK, and since 1997 adapted and used increasingly in Canada, particularly in Ontario. The approach is developmental and strengths based. The Assessment and Action Record (AAR), the core clinical tool, provides the basis for an in-depth assessment interview which then leads to a comprehensive care plan. The AAR is computerized and provides the possibility of data aggregation, and the recent revision allows for comparability among Canadian children as assessed by the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. This practitioner's guide includes training material that will help practitioners understand and put the LAC approach and tools to effective use.

Magic Weapons: Aboriginal Writers Remaking Community after Residential School. Sam McKegney, $28.95

The legacy of the residential school system ripples throughout Native Canada, its fingerprints on the domestic violence, poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide rates that continue in many Native communities. Magic Weapons is the first major survey of Indigenous writings in response to the residential school system, and … examines the ways in which Indigenous survivors of residential school mobilize narrative in their struggles for personal and communal empowerment in the shadow of attempted cultural genocide. Editor Sam McKegney argues that Indigenous life writings are culturally generative in ways that go beyond disclosure and recompense, re-envisioning what it means to live and write as Indigenous individuals in post-residential-school Canada.

The Moccasins. Earl Einarson, illustrated by Julie Flett, $10.95 ages 4-9

This is the endearing story of a young Aboriginal foster child who is given a special gift by his foster mother. Her warm and thoughtful gift encourages her young foster child and brings him acceptance and love.

Moving Toward Positive Systems of Child and Family Welfare: Current Issues and Future Directions. Gary Cameron, Nick Coady and Gerald Adams, editors. $38.95

Faced with rapidly changing social and economic conditions, service professionals, policy developers, and researchers have raised significant concerns about the Canadian child welfare system. This book draws inspiration from experiences with three broad, international child welfare paradigms—child protection, family service, and community healing/caring (First Nations)—to look at how specific practices in other countries, as well as alternative experiments in Canada, might foster positive innovations in the Canadian child welfare approach.

Murphy’s Three Homes: a Story for Children in Foster Care. Jan Levinson Gilman, illustrated by Kathy O’Malley, $11.50 ages 4-8

Being a pup in foster care is confusing. What’s Murphy to do when he’s taken away from his family and placed in a new home, with new people, new pets and new … EVERYTHING??!!

My Feeling Better Workbook: Activities that Help Kids Beat the Blues. Sarah Hamil, $19.95; Professional Version with CD-ROM, $29.95

There are many ways to help children who are sad and depressed, and you might not even realize how much you can do to make your child feel better. By working through this book, guiding your child through just one activity a day, you can empower him or her with the skills necessary to overcome sadness and low self-esteem and live an active, joyful life.

My Lifebook Journal: a Workbook That Helps Kids Adjust to Foster Care. Therese Accinelli, $21.95; Professional Version with CD-ROM, $32.50

Children placed in foster homes face many difficult changes over which they have no control. They must learn to quickly adjust to a different family, a new set of rules, and possibly a new school and community. These changes can be overwhelming for kids, and the sadness, fear, and anger they may feel can prevent them from making a successful transition into foster care.

The simple activities in My Lifebook Journal offer children the tools they need to adjust to their new situation in a healthy way. Using the worksheets in this book, kids can journal about their positive experiences and memories, learn to develop a strong sense of self, identify the people they can rely on, and learn coping skills for dealing with feelings of anger and sadness. Writing down and exploring their thoughts and feelings in just a few minutes each day can help children better understand themselves and their biological and foster families. The resiliency and self-confidence that these activities develop will help children handle not only the transition into foster care, but also the many positive changes in their lives still to come.

Most adopted children and their families will, sooner or later, encounter the challenges of dealing with unresolved attachment issues or early traumatic experiences. New Families, Old Scripts is an accessible introduction to understanding these challenges and helping children and their families to develop a shared language and understanding of one another … The accessible combination of theoretical approaches and practical advice makes New Families, Old Scripts an ideal resource for social workers and adoptive or foster parents.

No Easy Answers. Deanna Lueder, $22.95 (fiction)

No Easy Answers is a compelling collection of interrelated short stories about the social work profession, told from the perspective of a child-welfare social worker. Though fictional, the tales are based on the author’s many years of experience as a front-line child protection worker. Raw, powerful, and candid in its depiction of an often-misunderstood profession, the collection offers the reader a startling picture of child-protection investigations and case-work, as well as insight into the conflicted emotional life of a social worker.

One Small Boat: the Story of a Little Girl, Lost then Found. Kathy Harrison, $33.00

In One Small Boat, foster parent Kathy Harrison tells the story of one little girl who arrived on her doorstep, and describes how caring for this child was an experience that challenged everything she thought she knew about foster-care parenting and the needs of the children she shelters.

On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System. Martha Shirk & Gary Strangler, $20.50

On Their Own tells the compelling stories of ten young people whose lives are full of promise, but who face economic and social barriers stemming from the disruptions of foster care. This book calls for action to provide youth in foster care the same opportunities on the road to adulthood that most of our youth take for granted - access to higher education, vocational training, medical care, housing, and relationships within their communities. On Their Own is meant to serve as a clarion call not only to policymakers, but to everyone who care about the future of our young people.

Our Gracie Aunt. Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Jon Muth, $7.99 ages 5-9

Johnson and his sister Beebee seem to be all alone in the world. Their Mama has gone away and left them on their own. Then a social worker comes and takes them to stay with their Aunt Gracie. This child’s-eye view of a brother and sister entering foster care is an exploration of change, trust, forgiveness and the true meaning of family.

Promoting Resilience in Child Welfare. Robert Flynn, Peter Dudding & James Barber, editors, $40.00

Since the beginnings of its development in Britain in 1987, the Looking After Children (LAC) initiative has had a profound influence in Canada — as well as in Australia and across Europe — in sharpening the developmental focus and improving the quality of services for children and adolescents who, because of abuse, neglect, extreme poverty, or other circumstances, live in out-of-home care. With its emphasis on high expectations, positive substitute parenting, and good short-term and long-term outcomes, LAC has been an important vehicle for promoting resilience (i.e., positive outcomes in spite of serious threats to development) in child welfare, one that will remain a beneficial influence in Canada and internationally for many years to come. Promoting Resilience in Child Welfare presents reviews of research, new empirical findings, and useful practice and policy suggestions derived from the perspectives of LAC and resilience theory by an array of international voices.

A Question of Commitment: Children’s Rights in Canada. R. Brian Howe & Katherine Covell, editors, $42.95

In 1991, the Government of Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, requiring governments at all levels to ensure that Canadian laws and practices safeguard the rights of children. A Question of Commitment: Children’s Rights in Canada (2007) is the first book to assess the extent to which Canada has fulfilled this commitment. Contributors explore child poverty, child care, corporal punishment, sexual exploitation, youth justice and the participation rights of children. They also examine the situation of special populations – Aboriginal children, children and youth in care, the homeless, refugee children and children with disabilities.

Real Life Heroes: a Life Storybook for Children, 2nd Edition. Richard Kagan, $40.95

Real Life Heroes: a Life Story Book for Children is a therapeutic resource that helps children overcome the difficulties they may face, including divorce, separation, placement, learning problems, serious illness, and hospitalization. The workbook highlights and preserves for children the moments in their lives when “important” people—family, friends, and community—showed kindness, caring, understanding, and courage, giving the child a sense of value that can promote transformation of troubled children from victims into tomorrow's heroes. The life storybook is especially useful for work with children in foster and adoptive families and group care programs.

Residential Care of Children: Comparative Perspectives. Editors, Mark Courtney & Dorota Iwaniec, $49.95

Residential Care of Children provides a rich description of the development, current status, and future of residential care internationally. Chapters describe how residential care is defined in the country in question, how it has evolved over time, including its history, trends over time, and any "landmark" events in the history of residential care. Authors examine factors that have contributed to the observed pattern of development of residential care and provide a description of the current state of residential care.

Lastly, each case study describes expected future directions for residential care and potential concerns. Two integrative chapters provide a critical cross-national perspective, identifying common themes, analyzing underlying factors, and speculating about the future of residential child care across the globe.

Residential Treatment: a Cooperative Competency-Based Approach to Therapy and Program Design. Michael Durrant, $38.00

A clinically relevant guidebook to enable residential treatment staff to create a context that helps residents help themselves to change. Durrant's work creates a distinctive break from previous medical metaphors of dysfunction, deficit, hierarchy and reparation, with clear theoretical thinking and practical examples.

Returnable Girl. Pamela Lowell, $21.95

Thirteen years old, Ronnie has been "returned" from multiple foster homes because of her impulsive lying and stealing. Her latest foster mom, Alison, is Ronnie’s very last chance—if she doesn’t want to end up in some awful residential treatment center … As Ronnie struggles to define herself, an important letter will present her with the most heart-wrenching decision of her life: to accept the woman who wants to adopt her, or to return to the mother who once abandoned her.

Reversing the Odds: Improving Outcomes for Babies in the Child Welfare System. Sheryl Dicker, $34.50

Demystifying the complex world of child welfare, this book shows early childhood practitioners how to collaborate with other professionals to ensure comprehensive development of the most vulnerable children from birth to age three.

Safeguarding Children: a Shared Responsibility. Hedy Cleaver, Pat Cawson, Sarah Gorin & Steve Walker, Editors, $54.99

Safeguarding Children represents a multi-professional approach to safeguarding children. Written for social workers and related professionals, it is also a valuable addition to training programs. The book focuses on the methods of identifying children at risk and details what happens at each stage of the social work process.

Shattered Lives: Children Who Live with Courage and Dignity. Camila Batmanghelidjh, $24.95

Shattered Lives bears witness to the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes. Chapters take the form of letters to a child capturing their life experiences, hugely impacted by sexual abuse, parental substance misuse and loss, leading to feelings of shame, rejection and worthlessness. Batmanghelidjh offers understanding for those baffled by these hard-to-reach children and warns against stigmatizing them for their problem behaviour. In her critique of existing structures, she exposes the plight of children who are overlooked by the authorities and denounces those who value bureaucracy over the welfare of the individual child. Society’s failure to acknowledge the truth of their experiences and act to change the environment in which such mistreatment can flourish is, she strongly argues, leading to the death of childhood. The book is a clarion call for change.

Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas Not Mommies and Daddies. Gayle Byrne, illustrated by Mary Haverfield, $19.95

Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas is a delightful and uplifting story of a young girl being raised by her grandparents.

Steps to Stability. The Kinship Centre, $79.95

This DVD presents practical information on helping children in the child welfare system transition from one setting to another. Youth and families speak about their personal experiences in achieving permanence and stability, and experts in the field add tools and techniques for parents, social workers, child advocates and mental health professionals. The video is appropriate for a wide audience and is useful as a training tool for professionals. 

Success as a Foster Parent: Everything You Need to Know About Foster Care.  National Foster Care Association, with Rachel Greene Baldino, $21.00 (ages 6-10)

Success as a Foster Parent offers you the information you need to get ready for this life-changing experience. Discover what it takes to be a foster parent and get real-life tips from other successful foster families.

Taking Responsibility for Children. Samantha Brennan & Robert Noggle, editors, $34.95

What do we as a society and as parents in particular, owe to our children? Each chapter in Taking Responsibility for Children offers part of an answer to that question. Although they vary in the approaches they take and the conclusions they draw, each contributor explores some aspect of the moral obligations owed to children by their caregivers. Some focus primarily on the responsibilities of parents, while others focus on the responsibilities of society and government.

Theraplay: Helping Parents and Children Build Better Relationships through Attachment-Based Play, 3rd Edition. Phyllis Booth & Ann Jernberg, $72.00

Theraplay is a pioneering application of attachment theory to clinical work that helps parents learn and practice how to provide the playful engagement, empathic responsiveness, and clear guidance that lead to secure attachment and lifelong mental health in their children. This third edition of the groundbreaking book Theraplay shows how to use play to engage children in interactions that lead to competence, self-regulation, self-esteem, and trust.

Thinking Psychologically about Children Who Are Looked After and Adopted: Space for Reflection. Kim Golding, Helen Dent, Ruth Nissim & Liz Stott, editors, $60.99

Assessment, intervention and living with children who are looked after or adopted all require an understanding of psychology and its application. Informed by research, practice and psychological theory, this volume provides an overview of the area and considers the context for helping children change and develop. It goes on to describe in detail the techniques and approaches used by clinicians, and explains how interventions can be developed and adapted for children and young people living in residential, foster and adoptive care. With its multi-disciplinary approach, Thinking Psychologically About Children Who Are Looked After and Adopted will appeal to all professionals involved in the care and education of placed children. It will also be of interest to policy makers and lecturers and students of social work.

Three Little Words: a Memoir. Ashley Rhodes-Courter, $12.99

Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes. As her mother spirals out of control, Ashley is left clinging to an unpredictable, dissolving relationship, all the while getting pulled deeper and deeper into the foster care system.

Painful memories of being taken away from her home quickly become consumed by real-life horrors, where Ashley is juggled between caseworkers, shuffled from school to school, and forced to endure manipulative, humiliating treatment from a very abusive foster family. In this inspiring, unforgettable memoir, Ashley finds the courage to succeed — and in doing so, discovers the power of her own voice.

Towards Positive Systems of Child and Family Welfare: International Comparisons of Child Protection, Family Service and Community Caring Systems. Nancy Freymond & Gary Cameron, editors, $35.00

The need for services that respond to the maltreatment of children and to the struggles of families is at the core of social service systems in all developed nations. While these child and family welfare systems confront similar problems and incorporate common elements, there are substantial differences in philosophy, organization, and operation across international settings and models … The comparisons made by the essays in this volume allow for a consideration of constructive and feasible innovations in child and family welfare and contribute to an enriched debate around each system. This book will be of great benefit to the field for many years to come.

Treating Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents: How to Foster Resilience through Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency. Margaret  Blaustein & Kristine Kinniburgh, $44.95

Grounded in theory and research on complex childhood trauma, this book provides an accessible, flexible, and comprehensive framework for intervention with children and adolescents and their caregivers. It is packed with practical clinical tools that are applicable in a range of settings, from outpatient treatment centers to residential programs. Rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all treatment model, the authors show how to plan and organize individualized interventions that promote resilience, strengthen child-caregiver relationships, and restore developmental competencies derailed by chronic, multiple stressors.

Working with Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare. Nancy Boyd Webb, editor, $48.50

Until recently, there has not been a great deal of overlap in the child welfare and trauma literatures. This text bridges that divide by integrating perspectives from both fields to help practitioners understand and address the special needs of maltreated children and adolescents and their families … Featuring extensive case illustrations, the book gives particular attention to diversity issues and the importance of supporting child and family strengths.