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Hackney Child
By Hope Daniels and Morag Livingstone
Table of Contents
About The Book
The powerful, refreshingly honest, first-hand account of a childhood spent in the Care system.
At the age of nine, Hope Daniels walked into Stoke Newington Police Station with her little brothers and asked to be taken into care. Home life was intolerable: both of Hope’s parents were alcoholics and her mum was a prostitute. The year was 1983. As London emerged into a new era of wealth and opportunity, the Daniels children lived in desperate poverty, neglected and barely nourished.
Hounded by vigilante neighbours and vulnerable to the drunken behaviour of her parents’ friends, Hope had to draw on her inner strength. Hackney Child is Hope's gripping story of physical and emotional survival – and the lifeline given to her by the support of professionals working in the care system. Despite all the challenges she faced, Hope never lost compassion for her parents. Her experiences make essential reading and show that, with the right help, the least fortunate children have the potential not only to recover but to thrive.
‘It’s raw and absorbing’Grazia
‘This story needed to be told’ Cassie Harte, Sunday Times Number One bestselling author
At the age of nine, Hope Daniels walked into Stoke Newington Police Station with her little brothers and asked to be taken into care. Home life was intolerable: both of Hope’s parents were alcoholics and her mum was a prostitute. The year was 1983. As London emerged into a new era of wealth and opportunity, the Daniels children lived in desperate poverty, neglected and barely nourished.
Hounded by vigilante neighbours and vulnerable to the drunken behaviour of her parents’ friends, Hope had to draw on her inner strength. Hackney Child is Hope's gripping story of physical and emotional survival – and the lifeline given to her by the support of professionals working in the care system. Despite all the challenges she faced, Hope never lost compassion for her parents. Her experiences make essential reading and show that, with the right help, the least fortunate children have the potential not only to recover but to thrive.
‘It’s raw and absorbing’Grazia
‘This story needed to be told’ Cassie Harte, Sunday Times Number One bestselling author
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (January 30, 2014)
- Length: 272 pages
- ISBN13: 9781471129872
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Raves and Reviews
‘A shocking reminder of what some children are subjected to as they grow up’
– Harry Keeble, Best Selling Author of Baby X
‘An insightful look into one girl’s journey into the Care system in the eighties, Hope’s story shows the maturity and opportunistic attitude some vulnerable children undertake in order to thrive’
– Ruth Stivey, The Who Cares? Trust
‘Hackney Child is already gaining 5 star reviews ... It’s raw and absorbing’
– Grazia
‘Reading it, one is left with a kind of desolation naïve as it might be, that children in the UK are still living lives like this’
– Louise Carpenter, The Times Magazine
‘Incredibly powerful ... Hackney Child really is a must-read, not only for social workers but also for teachers, nursery staff, neighbours and friends’
– Rebecca Maxfield, Beacon Hill Training
‘A refreshingly honest, first-hand account ... It offers an invaluable insight into the emotional world of such children ... It will touch your heart, stir all kinds of emotions, and give you a perspective which is so child focused, it may change how you view the care system’
– Urs Bielmann, UK Fostering
‘A must read for anyone seeking deeper understanding of the experiences and feelings of children who come into the care system’
– Henrietta Bond, Adoption & Fostering
‘For all those who believe we intervene too often in family life; that parents always know best; that removing a child from his or her parents is an abuse of human rights; this book is essential reading’
– Martin Narey, Slideshare
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): Hackney Child eBook 9781471129872
