by Lies Gualtherie van Weeze and Kees Waaldijk

This is a slim book of 70 pages, and it covers a lot of the key aspects of residential child care in a relaxed and readily comprehensible style. It has seven main chapters. After an introduction, it looks at the nature of residential work, the professionalism of child care workers, how to work methodically, organisation and leadership, how to learn, and finally, a summary.

It contains a lot of good points, and there was nothing in the book with which we disagreed. It may be of most use to lecturers with a limited knowledge of this field who need material so that they can provide a number of introductory sessions for new workers. The book’s style is conversational, and one can almost hear the authors leading seminars in the way it puts its arguments over.

The book loses impact because of its production. English is not the first language of the authors, and the reader can accept the occasional slightly quirky usages, but there are also quite a lot of mistakes. Where did pages 30 –31 go, for example? FICE wanted to produce the book cheaply in order to make it widely available, but better editing and checking could have produced a much more professional result. Having said that, the book is worth getting and should stimulate workers and students alike to think more about the nature of residential child care.