Suffer the Children: Recollections of a Child Protection Worker by Anne McKenzie
Suffer the Children: Recollections of a Child Protection Worker is Anne McKenzie’s memoir, a collection of her vignettes and short stories, based on her experiences as a child protection worker, supervisor, team leader and manager.
The narrative arc of this book is as much about what it is like to be a child protection practitioner in a government department that is losing its way, overwhelmed by the sheer weight and volume of its statutory responsibilities, as it is a moving testament to the child victims of abuse, to their pain and their resilience.
There are stories that will make you laugh and others that will make you want to weep. Others still, will frustrate and anger you.
This book is not only essential reading for all human services students and professionals but also for everyone else in our community who cares about the welfare of children or has a role in meeting their needs or determining how those needs are met.
ISBN: 9781763721876 150pp 210 x 147mm
Anne McKenzie (1949-2024) was born and raised in Western Australia and lived in South Australia for over 40 years. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Western Australia. In a career spanning 35 years, she worked for 25 years in the child protection field, initially in Western Australia then principally in the employ of the South Australian Department, known variously as Community Welfare, Family and Youth Services, Child, Youth and Family Services and later Families SA. Anne was also a long-time member of the Burnside Writers’ Group. Some of her short stories have been published in their 2025 anthology, Tall Tales and True.
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Social workers are present in some of the most intense moments of people’s lives. We train for 4 years (minimum) to understand human behaviour, the contexts in which we live in and the interplay between them. The simultaneous focus between three areas makes our work harder to describe, and social work hard to define.
Anne’s book of short vignettes is like walking around a building; peering in the windows and doors until finally we gain a sense of the complexity of her work and social work in general. She has cleverly created a series of images that convey the chaos in which social work operates- and doesn’t try to smooth that out for us – but leaves us to make sense of it all.
Anne has left a powerful memoir that allows us to witness her work and the values with which she carried it out- humility, compassion, courage and hope.
As a fellow social worker, I would very much have liked to have had a chat with her. Thank you for your work, Anne. And thank you for the book.
- - Toni Hanna, Social Worker
Anne McKenzie’s Suffer the Children offers an honest yet uplifting look into the world of child protection work. Through her recollections in a series of short stories, McKenzie shares not only the challenges but also the small victories and moments of hope that come with supporting vulnerable children and families. Her compassionate, sometimes embellished, storytelling highlights the dedication and heart that underpin this demanding profession, reminding readers of the difference one person can make. Despite the difficult subject matter, McKenzie’s warmth, and optimism shine through this book. Sometimes you’ll laugh, other times you’ll want to cry.
- - Georgia Ross, SA COUNTRY WOMAN.
