'Should be required reading for those who care about how society treats our most vulnerable citizens.' Louise Allen

The Family Court makes life-changing decisions about the many vulnerable children in England and Wales behind closed doors. It's an institution tasked with protecting the youngsters most at risk, but how often does it make the right decisions?

A high number of children grow up in miserable and damaging circumstances. The failure of our child protection system and universal services - health, housing, children's social care, education - to provide them and their families with sufficient help to turn their lives around has been exacerbated by austerity-driven funding cuts and the pandemic.

Now operating at absurd speed in order to reduce the backlog, the court is dependent on often poor-quality information from overworked and under-trained social workers.

Teresa Thornhill provides an invaluable insight into the system and asks difficult questions, while offering much-needed solutions to the problems. This timely and urgent book will enlighten you about the court's processes but leave you worried for the children most at risk in our society.