A special UK policing edition of a heart-warming bedtime story specially written by Avril McDonald to soothe the anxiety of children whose parents work as first responders and to help initiate emotional wellbeing conversations.
Buy the bookThe Wolf was Not Sleeping is a heart-warming bedtime story specially written by Avril McDonald to soothe the anxiety of children whose parents work as first responders and to help initiate emotional wellbeing conversations. This special UK police edition has been written and designed in collaboration with Police Care UK as part of our offer to support families of serving police personnel.
Police Care UK is a charity which supports members of the police family who have been harmed as a result of policing, including the children of officers and staff. We understand that some children of police families may feel anxious when their parents are at work and we want to help allay those concerns. The book also reinforces the pride felt by having a first responder in the family and helps strengthen the connections between our families and the teams we work with.
Wolfgang’s dad works as a helper: when the wolves sound the alarm, he has to leave to help the other creatures in the forest. Each night Wolfgang worries about what might happen if his dad gets the call. His worries are so bad that they keep him awake, and he is falling asleep in the daytime instead!
Spider leaves a note for Big Dad Wolf to show him how worried Wolfgang is. Big Dad Wolf realises he needs to sit down with Wolfgang to reassure him, and tell him about what happens when he goes to help in the forest. Wolfgang learns that things aren’t always as bad as they seem.
There are lots of ways in which we can tell or show people how we are feeling – and if we can name a feeling, then we can tame a feeling. The Wolf Was Not Sleeping is a great bedtime read for young children whose parents work within UK policing.
In December 2021 we asked serving officers working within UK policing who had children aged between 3 years and 7 years whether they would participate in 2 short surveys in return for a free copy of The Wolf Was Not Sleeping book. We asked them some questions about their perceptions and experiences of children's worries or concerns about their parents or guardians working for the police service.
A follow up survey was sent in January 2022 to those who received the book, asking them what they thought of it, how it had been received by their young ones and what the potential impact might be.
83% said their children expressed worry or concern about them (or their partner) going to work as a police officer or police staff. 94% of the worries fell into the categories of
The book comes with a QR code to scan which gives the reader access to online tools and tips you can use to get the most out of the book and to encourage conversations with your child/children.
We invited participants for a short research project consisting of 2 short surveys to be conducted before and after reading The Wolf Was Not Sleeping. You can read our short research report here and see the difference we make.
If you have any questions that are not answered below please do get in touch with us and we'll be happy to help. You can find out how to get in touch with us here