Children Who Commit Acts of Serious Interpersonal Violence explores risk management and successful intervention for children in public care who have committed, or are at risk of committing, acts of serious violence. The contributors identify different subgroups of children who are difficult to place, including those who sexually offend and those who murder, and outline the key characteristics and patterns of need they display. They provide an overview of the risk factors leading to extremely violent behaviour and discuss the complexities of diagnosis and definition from a multidisciplinary perspective. The book proposes strategies for effectively managing these children, drawing evidence from international practice and research projects. It highlights the limitations of current structures and makes recommendations for future development. Children Who Commit Acts of Serious Interpersonal Violence will be a key reference for those individuals and organisations working with potentially dangerous children, and will encourage the reader to think creatively about good practice.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgements Foreword (Florence Bruce, Oak Foundation) Part 1: Backgrounds and characteristics. 1.Introduction and context, Ann Hagell, Nuffield Foundation, and Renuka Jeyarajah-Dent, NCH - The Bridge Childcare Development Service 2. Difficult to place children - key characteristics, obvious challenges, Susan Bailey, University of Central Lancashire and Royal College of Psychiatrists. 3. Risk factors for serious and violent antisocial behaviour in children and youth, Friedrich Lösel, Cambridge University and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Doris Bender, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. 4. Children with sexually abusive behaviour - a special subgroup, Eileen Vizard, NSPCC Young Abusers Project and University College, London. 5. Minors involved in murder and manslaughter: An exploration of the situation in the Netherlands, Paul Nieuwbeerta, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, and Peter H. van der Laan, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement and University of Amsterdam. Part 2: Outcomes and practical considerations. 6. The placement, care and treatment of children and young people who commit serious acts of interpersonal violence or sexual offences, Ann Hagell, Nuffield Foundation, and Patricia Moran, Royal Holloway, University of London. 7. Implications of different residential treatments for young people who commit serious crimes, Gwyneth Boswell, University of East Anglia. 8. `Hard to place' children and young people: A commentary on past, present and future approaches to care and treatment, Kevin J. Epps, Positive Experiences Limited and University of Birmingham. 9. Challenges to meeting the needs of these children effectively: An overview of an international research study in Germany, Greece, England and Wales, Ann Hagell, Nuffield Foundation. 10. Working with violent children in German youth services: Results of a survey, Doris Bender, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Friedrich Lösel, Cambridge University and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. 11. Children who commit serious acts of interpersonal violence: A field study in Greece, Helen Agathonos, Vivi Tsibourka and Angeliki Skoubourdi, Institute of Child Health. 12. Dealing with the children who are hardest to place: Results of a survey of childcare agencies in England and Wales, Ann Hagell, Nuffield Foundation, and Emily Hill, Policy Research Bureau. 13. Conclusions: Messages for good practice, Renuka Jeyarajah-Dent, NCH- The Bridge Childcare Development Service, and Ann Hagell, Nuffield Foundation. Appendices: Brief Commentaries. Appendix 1. The use of structured instruments in the assessment of violence risk, Paul A. Tiffin and Graeme Richardson, Forensic Mental Health Service. Appendix 2. Diagnostic issues in seriously disturbed adolescents, Robert Vermeiren, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, University of Leiden and Yale Child Study Center. 3. Disorganised attachments and psychological trauma in the lives of hard-to-place children, Jean Harris-Hendriks, Camden and Islington Mental Health NHS Trust, London and Royal Free Hospital and University College Hospital Medical Schools. 4. Management of serious interpersonal violence in individuals with autistic spectrum disorders, Paul Devonshire, University of Surrey and St George's Hospital Medical School. 5. Meeting the needs of young people who are dangerous within the English/Welsh context: A social care management perspective, David Derbyshire, NCH - The Bridge Childcare Development Service. 6. Service provision in Bulgaria for children who commit extreme acts of interpersonal violence. Daniela Kolarova, Partners Bulgaria Foundation. 7. The Our Family care model in Russia as an effective prevention scheme for children in care who commit extreme acts of interpersonal violence, Maria Ternovskaya, Maria Kapilina and Tatiana Gubina, Our Family Centre, Moscow. The Contributors. Subject Index. Name Index.