Lisa very kindly shared with us how her experiences working in the care system lead to needing to write this book and share these stories…
So, I’ve been struggling to write this. The first lines appearing, disappearing, starting again. It’s a funny time to get writer’s block, long after my book is complete. This Boy I Hardly Know flew out of my pen, but here I am now, staring at a blank piece of paper.
Perhaps it’s best to start with facts. In the UK, 20,000 children in the care system are separated from their siblings (Children’s Commissioner report: Siblings in Care, 2023). Often they’re moved miles away from each other. That’s thousands and thousands of devastated children who are alone, frightened, angry, grieving. And just when they start to find their feet in their new school, making new friendships and even beginning to trust a teacher or two, they’re moved again. And again. These children are forced to carry an almost unbearable weight – one invisible to the human eye. How are their fragile hearts supposed to cope, when with every step there’s an earthquake beneath their feet?
When I began teaching in a children’s home, I had no idea that most are privately run businesses. To maximise profit, costs are kept to a minimum. Poorly paid staff constantly leave, bonds with the children can’t be formed, trust doesn’t have time to grow and there’s an impossible cycle of traumatised children caught in a world that feels unsafe. (I do want to make it clear, though, that I’ve met many brilliant people who work with looked-after children – who genuinely care and go above and beyond).
I could no longer work in the home when I realised that I was expected to restrain these children, on an almost daily basis. When I tell people this, the response is always the same – “Sorry? Did you say, restraining?” Yes, an adult either side, pinning down a terrified child.
I had to make an impossible decision – stay and be a part of that, or leave.
I left. I became yet another person to let those children down. I had to look these resilient, brilliant children in the eyes and tell them that I, too, was walking away.
I felt powerless against a system that is so very wrong. My voice was too small, the problem too big. How on earth could I help make even the slightest change? How could I let people know the realities of what’s going on? The answer was clear – I had to write about it. And when I picked up my pen, Dusty was waiting.
She was there with her younger sister, Poppy, the number one person in her life, the only person in her life, and their love for each other was clear and shining. But when they were separated, Dusty’s world imploded. This Boy I Hardly Know is about her fight to be reunited with Poppy again, but it’s also about so much more. It’s about understanding the devastating reality that our children in the care system are faced with. It’s about seeing them for the important individuals they are. It’s about looking with open eyes, rather than turning away.
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Many thanks to Lisa for sharing what brought This Boy I Hardly Know into being. Recently published by Andersen Press, this is is a thought provoking read that would suit Key Stage 4 or 5. It shines a light on some tough situations while equally empowering love, joy and hope. You can read more about This Boy I Hardly Know and find out about school library discounts using the link below.
‘What they want is love . . . they’ll cross the country and break their hearts to hang on to it’ Melvin Burgess Sixteen-year-old Dusty is smart, talented and fiercely protective of her younger sister Poppy. They’ve been moved from foster carer to foster carer, until one day the unthinkable happens: Dusty and Poppy are separated, and no one can say when they will see each other again. Devastated but determined, Dusty has to find a way to reach Poppy. Everything seems stacked against her until she meets beautiful, fearless Cooper at her children’s home, and together they decide to run . . . ‘Raw, real, and full of heart’ Ciara Smyth ‘Daisy and Cooper have my heart entirely’ Louisa Reid ‘Full of urgent love, complex betrayals and ferocious secrets’ Luke Palmer
