ABSTRACT
Mothers Accused and Abused: Addressing Complex Psychological Needs brings together stories about mothers who are accused of harming, and in some cases killing, their children, children who subsequently harm or kill others and the challenges to professionals who work with them.
Contributors consider the deeply rooted cycles of neglect and abuse manifested in the childhoods of mothers, who only come to our attention when their extreme distress is expressed through their actions. By recognising the long-standing, unmet dependency needs of abused and neglected women, the book argues that longer term engagement can prevent a seemingly endless repetition of court hearings and imprisonment, and thereby address cycles of neglect.
With sections on mothers in prison and interventions following child care proceedings, Mothers Accused and Abused will be a valuable resource to those working in the criminal and civil justice systems, social work and mental health as well as others who, in a professional or personal capacity, encounter troubled mothers and their children.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part one|2 pages
Setting the scene
chapter 1|5 pages
Mother, madonna, whore: understanding perverse mothering
part two|2 pages
The pain of relationships lived and re-lived
part three|2 pages
Mothers in prison
chapter 9|17 pages
Cover stories
part four|2 pages
Interventions following child care proceedings
chapter 10|10 pages
Last chance saloon
chapter 12|12 pages
The mother in mind
part five|2 pages
Ways forward