Social Work with Unmarried Mothers and Their Children

Viviene E. Cree is Professor Emerita of Social Work Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK.Robert MacKenzie is Visiting Professor of Management Learning at the University of Chichester, UK.

• 1.Introduction. 2.Setting the scene: The historical context. 3.Life stories. 4.Experiences of Care. 5.Teasing out threads. 6.Reflections and implications for practice.

“Meticulously and lovingly researched and beautifully told, this book gives voice to the unmarried mothers and children who have been erased from history. It urges social work to confront its own past with honesty and humility and provides it with a vital opportunity to learn, reflect, and do better today. It is both a record of what was and a guide to what must change.”Professor Harry Ferguson, Professor of Social Work, University of Birmingham“This a wonderful rich and moving social history of the lives of mothers, children and others, linked by diverse circumstances, that paints a picture of both positive and negative consequences of childhoods in care, constructed by drawing on first person narratives, records and archival materials. This innovative book will be of great interest to social workers in child and family services around the world.“Professor Liz Beddoe, University of Auckland“This beautifully written book tells the multi-layered story of the lives of three unmarried mothers, their children and a social work agency which surrounded them. Written by a social worker and former care leavers this book is filled with warmth and wisdom and creates an important lens through which to view the past, present and future of social work with children and their families.”Professor Ruth Emond, Professor of Social Work, University of Stirling