2005. Published by Russell House Publishing 2005

A4 wire bound manual of 140 pages. (ISBN: 1-903855-61-6).

This book is based on the way of working at Option 2, It provides motivating, practical help for childcare and child protection social workers, their managers and policy makers. Other professionals interested in practical ways of working with families will see how they can experience clear outcomes, aimed at enabling families to care for their children and keep them out of the care system. Anyone whose work may require them to engage with resistant clients, including other social workers, social work assistants, managers, family centre staff, residential workers, outreach workers, youth offending teams, probation staff, youth workers and others will find plenty of use is this book.

Preventing breakdown is a ‘how–to’ book. It explains how you as a front line worker, manager or policy maker can create an environment where families can exploit their potential to develop and protect their children. It offers tools and ideas that will guide workers into building on the family’s strengths and self-efficacy, developing family pride, a focus on solutions and a determination to succeed.

Before taking that most damaging step of taking children away from their homes and families and leaving them in strange and unfamiliar environments, childcare social workers, managers, and ultimately policy makers must be able to say that the alternatives have been tried, that family and community strengths have been explored, developed and exploited and that there really is no other option.

The tools and concepts in this book are deeply practical, providing clear professional input and measurable outcomes for children and families. Workers using them will feel valued as professionals, confident when trying to work with difficult situations, and they will make more accurate assessments.

Rhoda Emlyn-Jones, Service Manager for Option 2 at Cardiff, writes in her foreword: “It is with great pleasure and some awe that I commend Mark’s excellent work… to bring this successful approach to a much wider audience.”

“This is a brilliant book. Every so often I read a book which I really wish I had written: this is one of those. Helping families in distress and adversity to keep together is a huge and vital task: this book explains how to do it. Using the realities of partnership, communication, empowerment, motivation, goal setting, and enabling new skills to be developed, Mark Hamer has provided detailed help to all of us who work in this field. He is to be hugely congratulated.”

Professor Richard Velleman

University of Bath and Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Trust

“Packed with ideas and exercises, it will inspire practitioners and families. It will be plundered by all staff who wish to find new and creative ways of engaging with families. I could not fault it. I could not put it down. We have a gem here.”

Martin C. Calder

Team Manager, Child Protection Unit, City of Salford Community and Social Services Directorate