This Isn't Love by Hope Daniels is a powerful memoir that exposes the harsh realities of the UK care system for teenagers. After being moved to a secure unit at 13, she faced abuse and neglect. The book casts blame on those who failed to protect her and ends with a hopeful call to action.
After a life in care, with both good and bad experiences of the system, Hope knows all too
well what the risks are for children in care as they approach adolescence.
Lacking any sense of self-worth or belonging, children in care are often dismissed by the
authorities as impossible to manage and, worse, perceived as children who have invited
sexual abuse by placing themselves in 'dangerous' situations. They quickly become invisible
to the authorities - too old to be perceived as 'children' by the system and yet, far too young
to be safe in an adult world.
Hope was brought up in care from the age of nine. Until now, she has never spoken about
what happened to her once she left the security of her Highgate children's home at the age
of 13 and moved into a 'secure unit'. It may have been secure but it was never 'safe'.
In this new book, she lifts the lid on this untold chapter of her story and the devastating
effects she experienced when she reconnected with her past. This isn't Love is a book that
not only casts blame on the men and women who abuse children in care, but also on those
who avert their gazes in the belief that these children are 'asking for it'.
Hope's story ends on a hopeful note, championing victims of abuse and encouraging others
to tell their story.
