"... a timely publication for the social work, early years,                                       education,  community and voluntary ‘inter-disciplinary’                                       transition."

                                     http://www.swap.ac.uk/books/bookreview.asp?book=20 

From the start the reader is drawn in to ‘Working with Abused Children’ with admirable ease by Celia’s concise writing style and logical order of content. The book, a third edition, is clearly partitioned into manageable sections, the headings of which provide instant sector connectivity across old profession lines, by the use of familiar words and phrases such as ‘attachment and related theories’, ‘working with diversity’, ‘facilitating communications’, ‘putting into practice’ and so on. Although a source of information for social work practitioners, this book is also a welcome asset to the relatively uninitiated practitioner brought up on early years and education.

The author highlights some of the previous theories of good practice which became dogmatically imposed practice – negative effects on the children they were originally designed to protect. Having explained how such dogmas lead to further 

difficulties for the child recipients, and with the practitioner in mind, Celia reiterates the foundations of contemporary good practice and expounds their positive application in the practical context of working with abused children in a diversity of circumstance.

The voices of abused children which are introduced in Chapter 2 resound throughout the book, heightening the deep and complex needs of children that practitioners must meet with understanding and professionalism. The final chapter deals with the longer-term effect of abuse by continuing the stories told by the children in to adulthood.

Working with Abused Children is an ideal teaching and learning resource. For example, Chapter 4 ‘Children in Society: policy and prevention’, tackles psychological, sociological, environmental and social policy issues for consideration by students and practitioners alike. Throughout the book Celia Doyle opens up endless opportunities for discussion, debate and reflection supplemented by practical activity suggestions.  

I recommend this book to anyone working with children across the old professional and voluntary boundaries as it provides practical ways that we can all help abused children. The practice Celia Doyle suggests is based on theoretical understanding of the issues involved in working with abused children, individually, in family contexts and in groups. It is a timely publication for the social work, early years, education, community and voluntary ‘inter-disciplinary’ transition. 

In addition, adults who continue to work through the effects of abuse in their childhood may also find portions of this book helpful, as in seeking to clarify the negative effects of dogmatically imposed practice it is confessing the mistakes of a most difficult profession and seeking to make amends by equipping contemporary and future practitioners for work with abused children.