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Understanding juvenile firesetting Children and teenagers who set fires: Why they do it and how to help is the first book by Joanna Foster. FIRE Correspondent Catherine Levin reviews the ‘absorbing and accessible’ introduction to juvenile firesetting
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the detail offered about her home life leaves the reader in no doubt that this is not a happy place. Despite it all, there is a happy ending as Joanna exemplifies the power of the intervention and the simple fact that caring costs nothing. One cost Joanna does not cover is that to the mental wellbeing of the practitioner. Who looks after them? What does the Fire and Rescue Service do to ensure that their staff are able to manage their own welfare when their interventions are so emotionally draining? It is something that perhaps could have been explored further. This book has a naturally limited audience but really it should have wider appeal.
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‘lazy, ill-informed stereotypes’ often found in news headlines like ‘Firebug who torched a church’ or ‘The making of a firestarter’. She avoids ‘arsonist’ and ‘pyromania’ too. For Joanna, the focus is on the individual and the behaviour. These are her start and end points; the humanity of her approach shines through the writing in this book. And none more so than when she tells the story of Jenny-Lee. Having taken the reader through a wide range of tools and practice to furnish them with the confidence to work with juvenile firesetters, Joanna changes tack and provides a substantial case study which brings all the advice to life. The story of Jenny-Lee is a reminder that so many young people do not live in a secure and safe home and that love is not a given in every household. Joanna shares her experience of working with Jenny-Lee who at 13-yearsold has an interest in firesetting; she is immature for her age and
Children need adults who are kind, caring and above all able to help them navigate the complexities of life. Joanna’s book provides the tools to help practitioners be their guides. Children and teenagers who set fires: Why they do it and how to help by Joanna E. Foster is published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020.
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hildren and teenagers who set fires is an absorbing and accessible introduction to understanding juvenile firesetting. Part manual, part paean to her roots in the Welsh Valleys, Joanna Foster’s first book is a well-judged and acutely observed insight into an area that she has worked in for many years and clearly loves. All fire and rescue services have some form of juvenile firesetting intervention programme; Joanna used to manage the London Fire Brigade team before striking out on her own a few years ago. It is not an area that gets a lot of attention – it is not mentioned once in the State of Fire and it is unlikely to be in any of the individual fire and rescue service inspection reports either. It is a specialist corner run by dedicated staff who should all read this book. Joanna takes the reader through the foundations of firesetting. She is quick to bin
www.fire–magazine.com | February 2020 | 7