New Releases by Steven Walker

A shocking reminder of the cruel history of childhood that has been largely hidden and forgotten. Children Forsaken provides a long, historical, overarching examination of the phenomenon of child abuse. In the UK battered child syndrome was ''discovered'' in the 1960s, whilst child sexual abuse gained attention in the early 1980s. Subsequent enquiries, legislation and practice developments have focused narrowly on reacting to events giving the impression that child abuse is a recent problem. Yet the historical record provides a multitude of examples of the ritual slaughter, sexual and physical abuse of children continuing since Ancient times. This book place child abuse in the context of the way children and childhood have been understood throughout the ages, but also show that despite legal definitions, and children''s rights laws, children and young people continue to suffer. This book enables practitioners and those training in the helping professions to gain a deeper understanding of how embedded in human society child abuse has been and still is. Practitioners need to perceive child abuse as a long-standing problem about children''s status in the World, their legal and human rights, and that much work is still needed to ensure children''s needs and safety are paramount. This ambitious book paints an important and erudite picture of child abuse and social responses to it, bringing us up-to-date with a call for continued vigilance, compassion, and action. Professor Jonathan Parker, Bournemouth University.

Supporting Troubled Young People provides a vital and much-needed resource for anyone involved with children and young people who are suffering from or at risk of developing, mental health problems. Problems such as self-harm, eating disorders, and anxiety and depression are increasing, while young men, in particular, are at increasing risk of suicide. This is against a backdrop of NHS CAMH services unable to cope with demand and resources in the voluntary sector being stretched beyond their capacity. This means parents, teachers, social workers and nurses are often the first and only help available. This book gives them a jargon-free, accessible guide to help them assess situations, provide skills and guidance to support children and young people, and know how and where to get more help for them. Full of practical tips, advice, exercises and case studies Articulates gender, multi-cultural, spirituality and sexuality issues Tackles contemporary issues such as cyber bullying, eating disorders and self-harm Uses research and established theory in an engaging way enabling the reader to translate ideas into modern multi-cultural practice Supporting Troubled Young People provides any worker involved in supporting, helping and caring for young people with a practical resource to use in their work as teachers, social workers, nurses, youth workers, doctors, foster carers, residential staff, psychologists and psychiatrists. Parents and young people will also find much of value here. This book makes a rich contribution to the understanding and treatment of children’s mental health at a time when this is desperately needed. It is well-informed, full of case illustrations to guide the reader, and is written by a compassionate therapist and researcher with a solid grasp of the complex social environment in which children live today. Dr Chris Nicholson – Head of the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex.

Humor smiles and chuckles and sometimes laughs so loud in virtually every book of the Bible, so it''s remarkable how readers manage to overlook it. It''s also unfortunate. Humor graces biblical texts at so many levels that to miss the humor is to miss not only much of the emotional impact of the Bible, but much of its meaning. Illuminating Humor of the Bible shows how--and how much--comic elements contribute to understanding the most vital book in our culture. Biblical humor has been seriously underestimated. We have not begun to appreciate why humor winks with such unexpected frequency and understated significance from this revered text. It''s time to shine a spotlight on scriptural wit to illuminate the ways humor refracts biblical meaning. Unveiled by the frank perspective of humor, Bible texts reveal implications that will surprise the most informed readers. The reader-response lamp of humor lights up dark corners of biblical significance inaccessible until now. Awareness of the irony and wit and satire and slapstick enables not just better readings, but better ways to read. Go where no Bible reader has gone before. Try eight fresh and relevant methods of reading the Bible better through the lens of its humor.

With case studies, interactive activities, summaries and guidance throughout, this book looks at the changing context of children and young people’s services heralded by the structural, organizational and funding changes put forward in Eileen Munro’s Review of Child Protection. It is strongly grounded in research and theory, and gives specific consideration to how systems theory can help practitioners in understanding families. It highlights the need for every social work practitioner to develop the capacity to undertake unified assessments and interventions in a wide variety of settings with individuals, families, and groups where there are child protection and safeguarding concerns.

Fidel Castro is something of an enigma. For 50 years he has defied all America’s attempts to topple him and Cuba’s government. He continues to occupy a special place in Cuba’s collective consciousness and over his unique version of a socialist society in Latin America – but what shaped him into the person he is today? The saying goes ‘to understand the man, you must first understand the child’, and no other book has concentrated exclusively on Fidel Castro’s childhood and on his formative experiences. Fidel Castro’s Childhood – The Untold Story examines those crucial early years that, together with external circumstances and family relationships, made Castro the man he is. Steven Walker has used all the available evidence, including the testimony of close friends, to assemble the facts to analyse, interpret and draw conclusions using his extensive knowledge of politics, psychotherapy and child development. Fidel Castro’s Childhood – The Untold Story offers an opportunity to gain new insight into the life of Castro. Love or loathe him, you cannot ignore him. Castro is one of the iconic political figures of the 20th century and a towering character in the pantheon of revolutionary leaders, Fidel Castro’s Childhood – The Untold Story throws light into the dark corners and shadowy recesses of the early life of this exceptional, enigmatic character. Che Guevara might receive more international attention in the story of Cuba’s history, but it is Castro who has remained enticingly enigmatic – until now.

Now updated with a new afterword, the classic true crime thriller by journalist Steven Walker and veteran police detective Rick Reed exploring the grisly crimes of a sadistic serial killer who dismembered his victims. Joseph Weldon Brown confessed to more than a dozen murders across seven states. He was convicted and sentenced for killing a woman whose body he dismembered and scattered across three Indiana counties. In prison, he hogtied and strangled his cellmate, then asked the judge to lock him up for life because if he was released, he would continue killing. Police detective Rick Reed was on the scene when Brown led authorities to the scattered remains of Ginger Gasaway in 2000. After Brown’s arrest, he confessed to a shocking number of other heinous crimes—the torture and murders of drifters and sex workers, the cold case of a naked woman’s body found in a roadside ditch, even the murder of his own mother. Detective Reed was the one man Brown opened up to—and the only one to cut through the deceptions and lies and learn the terrible truth . . . In this newly updated edition, now-retired detective Reed reveals his personal theories and insights into one of the darkest minds he has ever encountered—and one of the most terrifying crime stories ever told . . .

This is a practical guide for professionals on understanding and responding to self-harm in children and adolescents. It includes information about what self-harm is and who is likely to self-harm, and provides practical advice on how to identify self-harm, how to respond and intervene, and how to support the child or young person.

The Social Worker''s Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health provides a comprehensive guide to working with children and young people who are experiencing mental health problems, and equips the reader with the knowledge and skills to provide the best service to these vulnerable young people.

He Stalked His Victims. . . A mother and daughter--brutalized, murdered, and left to rot in the summer heat. A young college student--killed with a .38 handgun at a remote highway rest stop. These were just a few of the victims of Timothy Krajcir, a sexual predator with an unquenchable appetite for violence. . . From State To State. . . He would travel to towns where nobody knew him, break into a woman''s home, and wait for her. It started when he was still in his teens, when a rape conviction landed Krajcir in jail. After that, he spent much of his adult life behind bars for various sex crimes. By the time he was in his early 30s, he was a free man. Free to stalk, rape, and kill. Three Decades Of Murder And Blood. . . But in 2007, new DNA testing finally linked Krajcir to another college girl''s murder. Ultimately, Krajcir confessed to killing nine women--five in Missouri and four in Illinois and Pennsylvania. But his three-decade reign of terror has never been forgotten--and the full range of his predatory crimes never revealed--until now. With 16 Pages Of Shocking Photos

This book seeks to liberate and empower practitioners seeking to meet the needs of all the troubled children and young people who come to them for help. Walker fills a gap in the available literature by addressing the needs of the changing demographic and ethnic tapestry of contemporary multi-cultural societies. This book extends classical concepts embodied in psychodynamic and systemic theory and provides practitioners with contemporary resources that reflect the changing external characteristics of society.

Drawing on interviews with social workers and their managers, and families and young people themselves, the authors of this important book show how the principles embodied in the Assessment Framework have been applied to social work practice. This book should be read by all professionals working to promote the welfare and well-being of children.

In today''s business environment, the most important weapon in any company''s arsenal is not its products or services but its relationships with customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and the communities it serves. Balancing conflicting agendas while creating value for all the stakeholders is an enormous challenge, but one that pays off in the long run as the company builds commitment, both inside and outside the firm, to everything the company provides and stands for. Drawing from their firm''s sixty-year history as a pioneer in corporate reputation, consumer psychology, and market research, the authors present a practical model for hard-wiring stakeholder management into strategy and reaping the rewards, through continuous innovation and profitable growth.

"This popular series provides a balanced English program based on the main text types studied in primary schools.Focus on Texts 6 introduces students to the basic types of text and enables them to develop a wide variety of essential English skills within the context of each text type. It also includes extension activities for further development and practice, as well as answers for activities.Each unit of work on a particular text type covers: comprehension writing spelling and word sk