Creating Spaces Where Every Child and Young Person Thrives

Children and young people need to feel they truly belong, they need to know they matter, and when they are navigating life's most difficult thresholds they need someone who will walk alongside them. This essential book introduces the Belonging, Mattering and Liminality (BML) Framework, a powerful, practical and deeply human tool for understanding what is needed to help them thrive.

Drawing on research across psychology, sociology, anthropology and social work, the framework recognises that creating spaces where everyone belongs, matters and thrives requires intentional design, relational practice and a willingness to sit with complexity. With evidence-informed and actionable strategies, chapters ask practitioners to look beyond surface-level inclusion and to grapple with the deeper dynamics of power, recognition and transformation that shape people's experiences of belonging or exclusion. Vignettes, reflections and key takeaways bring theory to life and offer a thoughtful, accessible read, cultivating a shared intention to make a difference that truly matters.

This book is for the practitioners who are on the front lines of this work: the teachers, social workers, youth workers, foster carers, community organisers, and policy makers who are committed to creating spaces where everyone—especially those most marginalised—can belong, matter, and thrive.