Casey Watson

The second book from Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson. Two weeks after saying farewell to her first foster child, Casey is asked to look after Sophia, a troubled 12-year-old with a sad past. Sophia’s actions are disturbing and provocative and, before long, Casey and her family find themselves in a dark and dangerous situation. Two years ago Sophia’s mother had a terrible accident. Sophia has been in care ever since. Right away, Casey feels something isn’t right. Sophia’s a well-developed girl, who looks more like 18 than 12. She only seems to have eyes and ears for men, and treats all women with contempt and disgust. And she has everyone around her jumping through hoops. Over time, as more details begin to emerge about Sophia’s past, it becomes clear that her behaviour is a front for an early life filled with pain and suffering. But although Casey feels she is gradually breaking through to Sophia and getting her to open up about things she has never spoken about before, her violence is threatening the safety of the whole family, forcing Casey to question whether she can really handle this lost and damaged girl. Both shocking and inspiring, this true story will shed new light on the extreme and sometimes dangerous nature of foster care.

The new fostering memoir from the Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson With his young mother in and out of prison, Sammy has been in care since he was nine years old. Left feeling entirely alone, he has never had a proper safe haven. There is one person looking out for Sammy: his neighbour, ‘Uncle Kenny’. But while Sammy may turn to Kenny for comfort, alarm bells soon start to ring for experienced foster carer Casey Watson… Will Casey be able to save Sammy before it’s too late?

The new fostering memoir from the Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson Six-year-old Amelie lives with her mother, Kelly, who suffers from bipolar disorder. After Kelly attempts to burn down their family house, it becomes clear that her daughter is in grave danger. Amelie is quickly taken into care. When she arrives with foster carer Casey Watson, Amelie acts much younger than her age. Casey must get to the root of Amelie’s behaviour, while doing what she can to keep the family together. Will Amelie ever find the safety of home?

Harley är 13 år och har blivit omhändertagen efter att hon försökt ta sitt liv. Hon klättrade upp på räcket på en gångbro över en motorväg men drogs i säkerhet av en förbipasserande. Socialtjänsten letar efter ett tillfälligt familjehem där hon kan känna sig trygg och samtidigt genomgå familjeterapi. Harley har en familj, en mamma och en äldre syster, Milly, som har flyttat hemifrån. Men Harley kan inte flytta hem ännu eftersom hennes mamma, som har problem med drogberoende, inte känner att hon klarar av det. Så Harley ska bo hos Casey och Mike i fyra veckor.Harley verkar tacksam och självsäker när de först träffas, men när hon försöker kasta sig ut ur bilen på väg hem blir det uppenbart att hon behöver hjälp omgående. Tre veckor senare, efter att hon gjort flera försök att rymma, verkar Harley inte ha gjort några framsteg alls. Men så kommer plötsligt genombrottet, när Harley klarar av att berätta sanningen om övergreppen som en väldigt farlig man utsatt henne för. Casey börjar tro att hon ska kunna hjälpa Harley trots allt.

A 5-year-old boy, Ethan, is brought to Casey in the middle of the night after the sudden death of his young mother after a drug overdose. Estranged from her parents, Ethan’s mum had been abused by her ex-partner, and began taking drugs to cope. Ethan is obviously lost and bewildered, and regularly wakes up screaming for his mum in the night. He begins to lash out at other kids at school and his behaviour becomes more volatile. When arrangements are made for Ethan to see his dad in prison, Casey recognises the name and face… It turns out she’s far more familiar with this case than first imagined.

Miller är bara tolv år men har redan erfarenheter av en drogberoende mamma, en försumlig pappa och över tjugo misslyckade familjehemsplaceringar. Finns det något hopp för en pojke som aldrig har upplevt kärlek?Miller, som hittades naken och ensam lekandes på ett järnvägsspår, var bara fem år gammal när han först blev omhändertagen. Efter en lång rad familjehem kommer han till Casey Watson. Casey är fast besluten att hjälpa honom att övervinna sina demoner och ge honom den kärlek och det hopp han förtjänar. Men hur långt är hon villig att gå för att rädda honom?

After taking a few weeks off work, Casey is presented with a new foster child: 14-year-old Elise, whose Mum left her at just five years old. At first, she’s no trouble at all, that is until she falsely accuses another carer, Jan, of acting inappropriately towards her. It turns out this isn’t the first lie Elise has told – her previous carer was constantly following up allegations Elise had made of people bullying her, trying to have sex with her, or hurting her physically. With some reservations, Casey agrees to take Elise on long-term, but when she makes some dark claims about her mum, Casey doesn’t know whether to believe her. In any case, she is determined to find out the truth…

A heartbreaking true story of a broken family and the foster carer who wants to keep them together… The Watsons are no strangers to sibling placements but when Casey takes the call from her supervising social worker one frosty January morning, she can instantly tell from the tone of her colleague’s voice that there’s a complicated case ahead. And she’s right. A four-day-old baby boy called Tommy – born in prison – plus his four-year-old half-brother, the lively Seth. A month later, the very moment she gets out of prison, the boys’ mother – a 19-year-old called Jenna – also follows. For Casey, it would it be a difficult scenario on several levels. Caring for a new born in her fifties with a pre-schooler who has spent most of his young life without boundaries tearing around her ankles, while also looking out for his drug-addicted mum who is ill-equipped to parent. It’s an unusual situation but one that has arisen in a bid to keep the family together. Can Casey find the energy and strength needed to rise to the challenge? Casey believes she can but when baby Tommy and Seth arrive, she falters. Seth is not so much a pocket rocket as a seek and destroy missile with a whole other agenda…

Let Me Go is the powerful new memoir from foster carer and Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson.Harley is a troubled 13-year-old girl who wants to end her own life and there's only one woman who can find out why.When Harley is sectioned after attempting suicide, she ends up in Casey's care under a 28-day care order. But before Casey can even get her back to the safety of her home, Harley hurls herself out of the moving car.Harley has a family - a widowed mother and older sister Milly. But Milly has left home and her mum, who has addiction issues, feels unable to cope.Despite the dysfunctional family, Casey suspects there is more to Harley's distress and after weeks of gentle coaching, a sudden breakthrough sheds light on the disturbing truth - Milly and her mum are not the only people in Harley's life. There is a man, a very dangerous man indeed.

Let Me Go is the powerful new memoir from foster carer and Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson.Harley is a troubled 13-year-old girl who wants to end her own life and there's only one woman who can find out why.When Harley is sectioned after attempting suicide, she ends up in Casey's care under a 28-day care order. But before Casey can even get her back to the safety of her home, Harley hurls herself out of the moving car.Harley has a family - a widowed mother and older sister Milly. But Milly has left home and her mum, who has addiction issues, feels unable to cope.Despite the dysfunctional family, Casey suspects there is more to Harley's distress and after weeks of gentle coaching, a sudden breakthrough sheds light on the disturbing truth - Milly and her mum are not the only people in Harley's life. There is a man, a very dangerous man indeed.

Let Me Go is the powerful new memoir from foster carer and Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson.Harley is a troubled 13-year-old girl who wants to end her own life and there's only one woman who can find out why.When Harley is sectioned after attempting suicide, she ends up in Casey's care under a 28-day care order. But before Casey can even get her back to the safety of her home, Harley hurls herself out of the moving car.Harley has a family - a widowed mother and older sister Milly. But Milly has left home and her mum, who has addiction issues, feels unable to cope.Despite the dysfunctional family, Casey suspects there is more to Harley's distress and after weeks of gentle coaching, a sudden breakthrough sheds light on the disturbing truth - Milly and her mum are not the only people in Harley's life. There is a man, a very dangerous man indeed.

Let Me Go is the powerful new memoir from foster carer and Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson. Harley is a troubled 13-year-old girl who wants to end her own life and there’s only one woman who can find out why. When Harley is sectioned after attempting suicide, she ends up in Casey’s care under a 28-day care order. But before Casey can even get her back to the safety of her home, Harley hurls herself out of the moving car. Harley has a family – a widowed mother and older sister Milly. But Milly has left home and her mum, who has addiction issues, feels unable to cope. Despite the dysfunctional family, Casey suspects there is more to Harley’s distress and after weeks of gentle coaching, a sudden breakthrough sheds light on the disturbing truth – Milly and her mum are not the only people in Harley’s life. There is a man, a very dangerous man indeed.

Just when Casey thinks her foster care duties are done, she’s asked to look after Sam, a troubled nine-year-old with a violent streak who drove his previous guardians to release him of their care. It soon unfolds, however, that this is no simple case. Determined to get to the root of Sam’s behaviour, Casey is committed to uncover his mysterious past only to find out something far darker than she ever imagined… Having recently said goodbye to their last foster child, Miller, the Watson family are taking a bit of a break. But it’s while Casey is having fun catching up with her friends that she receives a call from her new link worker. Social services are desperately trying to find a settled home for nine-year-old Sam, who has Autism and some serious behavioural problems. Removed from his mother less than a week ago, Sam has been staying with respite carers. But with two young children of their own, they now find themselves unable to hold on to the little boy as he is bullying them relentlessly. It’s not an isolated situation, either. Apparently Sam’s own siblings begged not to be placed with their older brother – they were both adamant that they were too afraid of him. The Watsons agree to accommodate Sam, who, despite his tiny stature, turns out to be quite the whirlwind – destroying anything and everything in his path. In addition to the outward behaviours, it quickly becomes evident that there is a much darker past that has blighted the boy’s life. As Casey tries to get to the bottom of it, she discovers there are no files on Sam; only the testament of his previous neighbour. Thankfully, Mrs Gallagher is only too happy to help. And to talk. But it soon transpires that there is a great deal more to Sam’s secret history…

A moving collection of 6 short stories - Helpless, A Small Boy's Cry, Two More Sleeps, Unexpected, Just a Boy and At Risk - previously available as individual e-shorts.A collection of inspiring and emotive real-life short stories from foster carers Casey Watson and Rosie Lewis.Sarah, a baby born to a crack-addicted mother on a freezing cold night in December.Charlie, who fell from the second-floor window of his tower block home while his mother is busy shooting up in their dirty council flat.Angell, left barely clothed beneath a park bench on a freezing cold day in winter.Hope, abandoned as a new-born by a young woman traumatised by a dark secret.Cameron, a sweet boy with a great sense of humour, who disappears after a disastrous and embarrassing family trip.Adam, a fragile and anxious child, whose relationship with his mother starts to unravel.

A BOY WITHOUT HOPE is the heart-breaking story of a boy who didn’t know the meaning of love. A history of abuse and neglect has left Miller destined for life’s scrap heap. But in this turbulent story of conflict and struggle, Casey Watson is determined to help Miller overcome his demons, show him love and give him hope. Casey Watson is back, doing the job she does best – rolling up her sleeves and fostering the children who, on first meeting, seem like hopeless cases. But when she meets Miller and discovers the truth about his disturbing childhood, even Casey begins to doubt if this child will ever be able to accept love. Found naked and alone on a railway track, Miller was just five when he was first admitted into the care system. Emotionally tormented by his biological parents, Miller has never understood how to establish meaningful relationships, and his destructive past, and over 20 failed placements, is sealing his fate in society’s social scrap heap. After a torrent of violent behaviour and numerous failed attempts to help Miller, Casey decides to make an intervention, implementing a severe regime that strips Miller of all control. But soon the emotional demands of Miller’s case start to take their toll on Casey and Mike. Just how far is Casey willing to go to help Miller and save him from his inner demons?

It’s late on Friday night when Casey’s mobile starts to ring. She is expecting it to be her daughter Riley. But it isn’t Riley. It’s a woman from the Emergency Duty Team. So begins Casey and Mike’s latest fostering challenge – a fifteen-year-old girl called Keeley who’s run away from her long-term foster home 25 miles away. The Jonathan Ross Show has just started when Casey gets the call. She thinks it will be Riley – telling her that her favourite actor is going to be on TV. But it’s something far more urgent: a fifteen-year-old girl who has run away from her foster family and accused her foster father of sexual abuse. The family deny in vehemently, but such an allegation can never be taken lightly, so a new home must be found for Keeley. Keeley is polite, but she’s sharp, and she has all the hallmarks of a child who has been in the system a long time, and knows how to play it. Whether the allegation is true or not, Casey knows there will be no winners here. If it is true, then a young girl’s life has been torn asunder. If not, then the heartache for the family will only be surpassed by the bleak outlook for Keeley. In the short term, it’s a case of providing a safe, supportive home for a vulnerable child. But with the dangerous world of the internet at her disposal, it seems this strong-minded youngster has her own ideas of where that safe place should be…

‘I’m so sorry, Casey,’ my link worker John said, sounding weary. ‘I know this is probably the worst time I could ring you, but we desperately need someone to take a child tonight.’ It’s the night before Christmas when Casey and Mike get the call. A twelve year old girl, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her father is on a ventilator, fighting for his life, while her mother is currently on remand in prison. Despite claiming she attacked him in self-defence, she’s been charged with his attempted murder. The girl is called Bella, and she’s refusing to say anything. The trouble is that she is also the only witness…

Fourteen-year-old Adrianna arrives on Casey�s doorstep with no possessions, no English, and no explanation. It will be a few weeks before Casey starts getting the shocking answers to her questions�.

Bestselling author and foster carer Casey Watson tells the heartbreaking true story of a teenage mother and baby in need of a safe and loving home. At fourteen, Emma is just a child herself - and one who's never been properly mothered. She has been in foster care several times already and when she discovered she was pregnant, and refused to have an abortion, her mother threw her out of the house. Casey and her family instantly form a strong bond with Emma's baby Roman, but dealing with Emma's behaviour and constant lack of responsibility is a far tougher challenge. And before long Casey finds she's doing something she never thought she would - covering up for Emma's shortcomings as she allows her personal involvement to colour her judgement. But the more Casey gets to know Emma the more she's convinced that with the right help and guidance this lonely and unsupported girl can become a good mother to her gorgeous little boy. That's what makes it even harder when Casey and her family have to make a stark choice: to hold on to Emma or look after Roman; to help a teenage girl desperate to turn her life around, or offer an innocent baby a safe home and much-needed good start in life.