The Handbook of Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play (Second Edition) by Linnet McMahon, Routledge, Hove East Sussex, 2009. 296pp. ISBN 978-0-415-43941-1 (Hbk), £60; ISBN 978-0-415-43942-8 (Pbk), £20.99

This highly readable second edition of Linnet McMahon’s book offers a comprehensive introduction to play therapy and therapeu-tic play. It provides a wealth of theoretical and practical guidance for practitioners wishing to start using play as a means of helping troubled children, whilst simultaneously affording experienced workers an opportunity to enhance their understanding of the connections between theory, practice and the use of self in thera-peutic work with children and young people.

The fi rst chapter concentrates on the place of play in child development, focusing on how, through play within an emotion-ally containing relationship, children can be helped to work though diffi cult emotions and to develop the capacity to think. The second chapter examines different play therapy theories and their application, spanning non directive and more focused methods, whilst developing the theme of emotional containment through emphasis on the importance of early relationships in infancy in providing the basis, the reliable, predictable ‘holding environment’ for children’s emotional development. Play therapy and therapeutic play are described as means of offering emotion-ally containing relationships in which children can use play to repair emotional damage. Chapter three supplies practical guid-ance for workers embarking on therapeutic play and encourages an appreciation of the process of play therapy. The remaining seven chapters examine the use of play with children of various ages and with children with disabilities or illness, as well as considering how therapeutic play can help children who have experienced separation, loss, neglect and/or abuse, or who are moving to new families. Throughout, a clear message is conveyed that whilst all children need play, not all need therapeu-tic play. Children’s developmental and play levels and their attachment patterns need to be understood if play is to be used appropriately.

McMahon highlights that whilst play is healing for children, it is often a messy, complex and confusing process. At fi rst sight, this might be seen as a deterrent to those wanting to engage in therapeutic play or play therapy. However, the book’s many strengths ensure that practitioners are encouraged to undertake therapeutic activities with children. First, theoretical perspectives are both clearly explained and integrated to demonstrate the rela-tionships between them. This is done in a way that made me want to read further and refresh my views of the contributions around child development and play made by theorists such as Freud and

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 70–73 (2010)

Published online 18 December 2009 in Wiley InterScience

(www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/car.1101

Book Reviews

Edited by

Marjorie Keys

‘A wealth of

theoretical and

practical guidance

for practitioners

wishing to start

using play as a

means of helping

troubled children’

‘A clear message is

conveyed that whilst

all children need

play, not all need

therapeutic play’

Book Reviews 71

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 70–73 (2010) DOI: 10.1002/car

Piaget. The development of play, its connection to emotional development from birth to adulthood, its various functions and essential aspects and how children use play to make sense of their worlds are well articulated.

Second, the text is supported by practice examples, produced by practitioners or written up by the author. These examples illustrate the theoretical material in action, offering opportunities for refl ection on themes and their symbolic meanings which may emerge through play. In addition, they give a real sense of what it is like to be in the therapist’s shoes and promote the importance of self awareness and an understanding of our own defences against pain and anxiety. Thirdly, the book does for practitioners exactly what they are expected to do for children in that it pro-vides a ‘holding environment’, a container of reference, guidance and refl ection on the emotional support required for undertaking the diffi cult task of working therapeutically.

Given the current concerns around meeting children’s needs appropriately, this book should be required reading for all profes-sionals who engage directly with children and young people. Whilst not all of them may opt to play therapeutically, this text will provide insights into the value of play and the ways in which we communicate with children.

Marian CharlesDirector of Therapeutic Work with Children Studies,

University of NottinghamPublished online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/car.1101

Good Practice in Safeguarding Children: Working Effec-tively in Child Protection edited by Liz Hughes and Hilary Owen, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, 2009. 288pp. ISBN-978143109457 (Pbk), £19.99

As the title suggests, this book offers professionals working in health, social care, education and the police service a range of practical suggestions to facilitate effective partnership work-ing with the aim of improving the outcomes for children, young people and families. The book emphasises the importance for practitioners of placing the child at the centre of any inter-ventions to ensure that they focus on the best interests of the child. This is important as inquiries into child deaths continue to reveal that practitioners can become distracted by their interac-tions with parents and this can result in a loss of focus on the needs of the child (Local Safeguarding Children Board Haringey, 2009).

‘The text is

supported by

practice examples,

produced by

practitioners or

written up by the

author’

‘Required reading for

all professionals who

engage directly with

children and young

people’

‘Emphasises the

importance for

practitioners of

placing the child at

the centre of any

interventions’

72 Book Reviews

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 70–73 (2010) DOI: 10.1002/car

The editors have included a wide range of topics that are of current concern to practitioners such as domestic abuse, problem substance misuse, parental mental health issues, parental learning disability and safeguarding traffi cked children. Particularly welcome in light of the fi ndings and recommendations from the inquiries into the deaths of Peter Connolly (Local Safeguarding Children Board, Haringey, 2008) and Brandon Muir (Hawthorn and Wilson, 2009), are chapters 3 and 5 that provide practical tips for frontline practitioners dealing with common problems such as uncooperative or hostile families and no access home visits. The importance of establishing a rapport with families, obtaining their perspective and being clear about the purpose of visits are high-lighted as key elements to working effectively with families.

I was particularly interested in chapter 13 written by Liz Hughes who draws upon her experience to examine the role of the health visitor and child protection advisor. She explores the purpose and process of child protection case supervision and offers practical suggestions to ensure that case supervision is a supportive refl ec-tive process that should result in effective practice, rather than being viewed as a tick box exercise. This chapter is relevant for safeguarding practitioners and their supervisors in both the statu-tory and voluntary sectors as Liz Hughes introduces a model for case supervision designed to assist supervisors to more accurately assess the competence of practitioners in their identifi cation, risk assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of interven-tions to meet the needs of vulnerable children and young people.

As a child protection practitioner working in Scotland, I felt that whilst this book is relevant for all frontline practitioners working with children and young people, it would have been encouraging to see more reference to policy and legislation in other parts of the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, this book is well structured and the use of case scenarios, exercises and key points is helpful to encourage readers to refl ect on current practice and to consider how they would implement the suggestions to improve outcomes for children and young people. There are refer-ences at the end of each chapter should the reader wish to explore topics in greater depth. I would recommend this book to students and practitioners working in health, social care, education, the police service and the voluntary sector.

References

Hawthorn J, Wilson P. 2009. Signifi cant Case Review: Brandon Lee Muir. Dundee Children and Young Persons Protection Committee and Chief Offi cers Group, Dundee. Available: http://www.dundeeprotects.co.uk/documents/SCR_Report_Brandon_Lee_Muir.pdf [29 September 2009].

‘Case supervision

is a supportive

refl ective process

that should result in

effective practice,

rather than being

viewed as a tick box

exercise’

‘Well structured and

the use of case

scenarios, exercises

and key points is

helpful’

Book Reviews 73

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 70–73 (2010) DOI: 10.1002/car

Local Safeguarding Children Board Haringey. 2009. Serious Case Review: Baby Peter. Executive Summary. Local Safeguarding Children Board Haringey, Haringey.

Alison HackettChild Protection Advisor (NHS Lothian), Edinburgh, UK

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www. interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/car.1104