The Good, The Bad And The Inevitable

Stories of Hope, Loss and Apathy from Behind the Bench.

In this inspiring, moving and often funny collection of stories, bestselling author Barbara Holborow tells of the good, the bad and the inevitable outcomes for so many of the kids she saw standing in front of her as Children's Magistrate.

There are stories of the kids who, like broken glass jars, can never be mended due to the awful beginnings they have suffered. There are stories of the kids and their parents who are willing to make changes and turn their lives around with lots of hard work.

There are stories of kids and parents who just don't care and who don't change. And there are also stories of the wonderful, inspiring kids and their carers (from parents, grannies and grandpas, foster parents and adoptive parents) who will do anything within their power to keep families together, to keep families loving and safe and who instill that important sense of hope for the future.

Barbara's motto is that everyone in a community has responsibility for every child. To illustrate this, throughout the book, interspersed between the stories, are snippets of Barbara's wisdom and tips for everyone on raising kids looking out for them, and keeping them happy and safe. After all - together we are one big family of humanity, and should look out for each other.