ABSTRACT
Since practitioners have a duty to ensure nurture of children’s spiritual wellbeing, they need to be aware of both their own and other people’s beliefs about spirituality and religion. As an example, this chapter briefly surveys influences on the author's own practice, especially writing and teaching about spiritual wellbeing, and illustrates aspects of Quaker faith and practice in relation to interactions with children. Many children lack not only the comfort of belief in a heavenly Friend but also the protection of loving, reliable, everyday earthly friends and carers. Practice in social and health care focuses on enabling and encouraging children whose lives include challenge and needs beyond the resources of family and community to engage with loss, gain strength, and incorporate difficulty and disadvantage into positive, fulfilled lives. Attending to children’s spiritual wellbeing is an essential, fundamental element of social and health care practice.
