Their older half-sister Ashleigh has accused their father of something horrible, and the two young sisters have been removed from home to keep them safe.

I suspect there are issues of consent, which is why she publishes under a pseudonym and changes the names of her charges and their families, but she provides lots of very specific details about the family, regardless. Angie, aged 5, and her sister Polly, aged 4, were utterly distraught when they were removed from home by social workers and brought to live with me. Cathy instantly began labelling Tim with names although as a Foster carer she shouldn't have been using those titles. Another great book by this author, this was a really hard book to read given the truth of the story. In my opinion, they should have questioned the teenager and her boyfriend way more in depth early on and months of separation for the other two kids could have been avoided.In my teens I began writing short stories, articles, a few radio plays, and entering writing competitions. I ended the book feeling heartbroken for what this family went through and I appreciate that this is a true story and a really family that was impacted by lies. I just felt that I needed to say that as a reminder and I would have liked for that to have been mentioned by Cathy to her readers in the epilogue along with the acknowledgment that false allegations occur. She is able to perfectly capture and balance the perspectives of herself as the foster carer, her children, the foster children, and the foster children's families.

However, as the girls settle and start to talk of life at home, it becomes clear that Ashleigh didn’t enjoy the same close relationship with her stepfather. There will always be uncertainty about what action to take when a child discloses abuse, but this case demonstrates that there should be a thorough investigation before drastic action is taken which can ruin lives.Ashleigh is now living in a children’s residential home where she will be prepared for semi-independent living when she comes out of care at eighteen. Sometimes you need to look through her matter of fact sentences to find emotional meaning and inferences, e.

She is supposed to have phone contact with Polly and Angie but doesn’t want to speak to them, which seems strange. The discussion Q's seemed slightly insensitive, as of course children's allegations should be taken serious. The plot plays out in a surprising way that gives an important lesson for anyone involved in child protection. Cathy has written 16 books, including bestselling memoirs Cut, Hidden and Mummy Told Me Not To Tell. They appear to have been well looked after and the family has never come to the attention of the social services before.

This is in recognition of my experience and qualifications and means that I am often asked to look after children with complex needs or very challenging behaviour. Yes, they are unique and tragic stories of individual children, but the themes reflect the experiences of millions of children across the world.

I was looking forward to a new Cathy Glass book, but like other reviews, I agree there was too many references and explaining of Covid protocols (Like we’ve all been living under a rock all this time! i just hope the family are able to get their life back on track and move forward with help and support. i feel like there was not enough of a plot to warrant a novel- it’s literally about a girl who falsely accuses her stepfather of raping her causing herself and her sisters to temporarily enter foster care. I also hope it doesn���t spark any readers to doubt allegations a child makes because there is a lack of evidence. They loved their mummy and daddy and seemed to have been well cared for, but their older half-sister Ashleigh, had accused their father of raping her.I found the story heartbreaking and horrendous as always but the writing style felt different and there wasn't as much detail about the children or the situation which is usually included.