Listening to Children - A Practitioner's Guide.

This is an important time for the children's sector workforce, and social workers in particular, to be seriously reconsidering listening to children both in theory and most importantly in practice. This book provides a good overview of the theory and the practice of children's rights, legislation and policy, child development, intervention, communication methods and strategies. The latter chapters explore involving children in decision making in their own lives as well as broader engagement in their schools, communities and politics. It is accessible, well-written and well-structured.

The book is rooted in the author's social work background and is peppered with direct quotes from children and young people, gathered as part of her previous research into how effectively social workers listen to looked-after children. Their words illustrate the problems more forcefully than anything else could, and in doing so underline the case for using the book in practice.