Book Description

‘The Woodcutter and the Fox’ is a traditional children’s fairy-tale with adult themes. It is about conflict within the Care System. Kevin the fox is determined to save money and orders the closure of a perfectly successful children’s home. At the same time he makes arrangements for the Woodcutter’s key child to be placed in one of the most damaging environments imaginable. The Woodcutter is adamant that addressing the budget should not be done at the child’s expense and decides to fight the little girl’s corner, come-what-may. Inevitably, the conflict escalates when Kevin the fox interprets the Woodcutter’s actions as a direct attack upon his Management, particularly when the Woodcutter writes to the queen of the system and tells her of his concerns for the little girl. Determined that the Woodcutter should pay for his boldness, Kevin the fox calls the Woodcutter a whistle-blower and decides to mark his cards by engineering his future dismissal, which the fox does by ensuring that the Woodcutter is isolated professionally and is prevented from doing his job: being a key person involved in the little girl’s immediate future. Inevitably, the fox’s actions are executed at the child’s expense, when she is taken away in the middle of the night and becomes isolated from both her key worker and the land of her birth. Kevin the fox and his animal team dress in identical attire: grey suits with large lapels. The one exception is the fox’s large dickey-bow, which is the status symbol of his Management. The ‘Yes People’ will resort to anything in order to wear that dickey-bow one day and they are quite prepared to back the fox to the hilt, having no conscience whatsoever when it comes to blaming the Woodcutter for the failure of the child’s Care Plan. They are determined to please Kevin the fox, as he is the one who pays their wages. He is also the source of any future promotion, ensuring that both Sleazy the weasel and Toothy the white-headed rabbit do not displease him in any way whatsoever. Good intentions quickly go out of the window when they are encouraged by the fox to bear false witness against the Woodcutter, which they do without a moment’s hesitation. ‘The Woodcutter and the Fox’ is a fairy-tale which has the make-up to entertain children and the subject-matter to interest adults, depicting conflict that could so easily arise in any one of the many children’s homes that operate in the Care System today. The book is a battleground where animals concern themselves with budgeting, promotion and the continued delivery of their individual pay packets. The Woodcutter and the Good Witch, on the other hand, represent the humanity that is so important when looking after human offspring. When Kevin the fox closes a perfectly stable Children’s Home to save money, the Woodcutter - who is experienced enough to know that plans for his key child are not in her best interests – decides to fight her corner. It is also an attempt by the author to evaluate what a good Care Plan should be. It should certainly consider the views of all relevant persons prior to its formulation; and if the child’s best interests are to be served appropriately, the good Care Plan should not ignore the existence of the child’s own key worker, since the child relies on this ‘special’ link-person to ensure that his/her feelings and wishes are known to all relevant persons prior to the formulation of that action plan. A good Care Plan must always consider the views of the child and try to recognize and identify the overall needs of that child. It should not give priority to an abusive dad, particularly if he is in agreement with everything that makes his child unhappy. The inspiration behind ‘The Woodcutter and the Fox’ grew from a decision on the part of the author to explore the Woodcutter’s actions, particularly in the light of a Care Plan that had the potential to do real harm to a child in the local authority’s care. The Woodcutter is adamant that the pri