It is now widely acknowledged that the most vulnerable and at risk children are children whom the current systems of education, care and health (especially mental health) are failing. The problem of dealing with 'at risk' children is also a problem of definition as one service provider s definition might often reflect an entirely different social reality from another's. Bringing years of collaborative expertise across many disciplines to the problem, the authors of How to Reach 'Hard to Reach' Children demonstrate how it is possible for all children to meet the following criteria of staying safe, enjoying and achieving, being healthy, making a positive contribution, and economic well-being.

List of contributors.Preface.Introductory Chapter Every Child Matters: Setting the Contextfor the 'Hard to Reach' (Martin Hughes).1 Underachieving Pupils, Underachieving Schools: What PupilsHave to Say (Lynn Turner).2 Impression Management: Understanding and EnablingChildren's Perception of Competence (StephanieJames).3 Containing the Emotional Needs of Adolescent Boys 'at Risk ofExclusion' in Mainstream Schools (Kathryn AnnePomerantz).4 WhatWorks in Reintegration Following Exclusion: Supporting theParts Only Peers can Reach (Jackie Lown).5 'Hard to Reach' Migrant Children (Peter Lloyd Bennett andJane Reid).6 A Seminar Approach to Multi-Agency Collaboration, TeamBuilding and Therapeutic Group Problem-Solving Where Some AttendeesMight be Described as 'Hard to Reach' (MichaelPomerantz).7 Reaching Pupils on the Autistic Spectrum: Parents'Experiences, Provision and 'Professional Reachability' (BrianWillis).8 Exploring Joined-up Solutions for a Child with Complex Needs(Heather Northcote).9 Engaging the Hardest to Reach Parents in Parenting-SkillsProgrammes (Nicola McGrath).10 Whose Voice is it Anyway? (Mary Chilokoa and JaneMcKie).Concluding Chapter Validating and Using Children's Views:Professional Dilemmas about Working Inside Agencies (DavidThompson and Jo Holt).Glossary.Appendix 1 Bibliography of Key Documents.Appendix 2 Searching for Explanations and Responsibilities as toWhy Some Clients May be 'Hard to Reach'.Appendix 3 Developing Good Practice with 'Hard to Reach'Children and Families.Index.