A home for Rory

NEW - add-on to the C.H.A.T. pack  

Work with foster carers or kinship carers?  Let us introduce A Home for Rory series of books

Rory is a little dog whose owner has an alcohol problem.  Rory thinks it is his fault when his owner sometimes doesn’t look after him.  The original book - called Rory - helps children understand that problems like this exist and that it can be difficult to talk about them. 

This new suite of books enables a child to explore the feelings they may have when their family circumstances change and they have to be looked after by another family member. Talking about Rory’s situation with a practitioner or carer can help children to understand and discuss their own experience and emotions in a safe and supported way. Although the story focuses on a difficult family situation where alcohol is the cause, it can be used to explore other circumstances which result in a child being looked after by a kinship carer.    

There are 4 new books which provide practitioners with resources that can help children and families prepare and cope with the changes in their lives.  All the books are designed to help children to:

  • Understand recovery and what that may mean for their parent/carer.
  • Explore the emotions they may experience as a result of being removed from their home.
  • Cope with the anxiety of not being able to see their parent/carer.

The first book, A Home for Rory, sees Rory’s owner Fred trying to stop drinking. Fred’s sister Sophie begins to visit and to help look after Fred and Rory. The book ends with Fred asking Rory to go to live with Sophie whilst he gets the help he needs.

The other 3 storybooks provide alternative endings to the first book, enabling practitioners and carers to choose the ending most appropriate to each child at a given time.

The Feelings Calendar which accompany the books, was suggested by kinship carers, to enable children to express their feelings and to talk about what is happening in their own life.  The calendar can be used to guide discussions and can also be useful to inform case conferences, for example, in demonstrating the impact of contact with parents.

 A home for Rory

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The figures

8.9
Average units of alcohol a week drunk by women in Scotland
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