The strain of caring for children struggling with severe and complex mental health needs affects the entire family. The staff at the innovative Croft Child and Family Unit have developed a unique approach of working intensively with the whole family, and encouraging them to share their experiences with other families, to instigate a complete change that will benefit all family members.Using detailed case studies to illustrate the model, the book focuses on the needs of children with a wide range of developmental, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and explores the complicated interactions between these children, their families and their communities. The care team includes nurses, psychiatrists, doctors, family therapists and creative therapists, social workers and teachers. They examine how to integrate a range of therapeutic interventions and how to use the powerful relationships that develop between professionals and families to enable positive, lasting changes. This book will be indispensable reading for trainees and professionals working with children with mental health problems and their families, and special needs educationalists wanting to understand the benefits of an intensive, multi-family approach to treatment for children who do not respond to standard community interventions.

Foreword. Prologue. 1. Setting the Scene. 2. Therapeutic Engagement. 3. Structure and Containment. 4. A Nurturing Environment. 5. Multi-Family Work. 6. Accessing Learning. 7. Fostering the Child's Social World. 8. Understanding the Individual. 9. Understanding the Family. 10. Creating a New Story. 11. Reflection and Evolution. Appendices. References. Index.