Books By Teresa Thornhill - Author

Tessa Gardner recently retired as a child protection barrister. For 35 years she worked in the Family Court of England and Wales and its predecessor courts. In addition to various periods practising from chambers, she spent many years working as an 'in-house' child protection lawyer in local authority legal departments.

She has represented parents, children, grandparents and local authorities in care proceedings. During periods of employment as an in-house lawyer, she was tasked with attending case conferences, advising social workers, issuing proceedings, and pushing cases through the court system, effectively in the role of a solicitor.

Through her unusually wide range of work experience, in both urban and rural contexts, she's seen the everyday workings of social services departments and the Family Court and can bear witness to the ever-deepening crisis in both childhood and the child protection system in the UK.