The Tales of Bushey Lane

Do you work in Children's Services, work with families and regularly talk to children about their experiences, wishes and feelings. Then The Tales of Bushey Lane could be the tool for you.

The Tales of Bushey Lane is the first children’s book which has been specifically written and illustrated to assist social workers who are working with, or assessing children and their families, to effectively communicate with children in order to gain a full understanding of their life experiences and to assess the level and quality of the parenting they are receiving. It has proven to be an effective assessment tool during initial child and family assessments, Section 47 investigations, can be used during Special Guardianship assessments and has been used to interview the birth children of prospective foster carers.

The book is accompanied by Activity Packs which can be completed during the session/s with the child and are used to expand on the themes within the book and further encourage the child to talk about their life experiences.

Whilst the book is designed for children within the 3 to 8 year age range it is equally as effective for older children who may have learning difficulties. It has proven to be a very effective tool when used, alongside an interpreter, with children whose English is not their first language.

The book has been endorsed by Dr Eileen Munro and the former director of Children Services of Harrow Council.