Book description
The first in a series of books from foster carer Casey Watson.
'We're hungry,' his brother cried. 'We're hungry, Justin. Please find
us some food.'
Justin was five years old; his brothers two and three. Their mother, a
heroin addict, had left them alone again. Later that day, after trying
to burn down the family home, Justin was taken into care.
Justin was taken into care at the age of five after deliberately
burning down his family home. Six years on, after 20 failed placements,
Justin arrives at Casey's home. Casey and her husband Mike are
specialist foster carers. They practice a new style of foster care that
focuses on modifying the behaviour of profoundly damaged children. They
are Justin's last hope, and it quickly becomes clear that they are
facing a big challenge.
Try as they might to make him welcome, he seems determined to strip his
life of all the comforts they bring him, violently lashing out at
schoolmates and family and throwing any affection they offer him back in
their faces. After a childhood filled with hurt and rejection, Justin
simply doesn't want to know. But, as it soon emerges, this is only the
tip of a chilling iceberg.
A visit to Justin's mother on Boxing Day reveals that there are some
very dark underlying problems that Justin has never spoken about. As the
full picture becomes clearer, and the horrific truth of Justin's early
life is revealed, Casey and her family finally start to understand the
pain he has suffered…
Includes a sample chapter of Crying for Help. Casey Watson is a
specialist foster carer. She has been working in this field for six
years after giving up her position as a behaviour manager for a local
school. During this time she has welcomed 14 difficult to place children
into her home.
As a specialist foster carer she works with profoundly damaged
children, seeing each child through a specific behavioural modification
programme, at the end of which they will hopefully be in the position to
be returned either back to their family or into mainstream foster care.
Casey combines fostering with writing, usually late at night when the
rest of the family is sleeping. Casey is married with two grown-up
children and three grandchildren. The name Casey Watson is a pseudonym.
This is Casey's first book. Her next title is called Crying for Help.
