By Al Aynsley-Green (Routledge, £13.99)
Why are outcomes for the UK’s children for health, education, social care, youth justice and poverty among the worst in the developed world? Al Aynsley-Green starts with an examination of attitudes to children in medieval England, when unwanted babies were abandoned on rubbish heaps. His central theme is betrayal, with two of the biggest betrayals of childhood he says being political indifference to the importance of children in the UK, and lack of communication between government departments and with other organisations. The final chapter is focused on bringing about change. This is a thought-provoking and timely book.
