Creating Spaces Where Every Child and Young Person Thrives: Introducing the Belonging, Mattering and Liminality Framework

“In this excellent book, Lisa Cherry achieves a daunting feat: drawing together academic research, case study examples and personal testimony into a deeply engaging exploration of fundamental questions about the human condition. Cherry makes a compelling case for the fruitfulness of the Belonging, Mattering and Liminality framework as a lens through which to explore the complexities of human connection and flourishing. Written in an accessible and conversational style, with characteristic wit and verve, this book offers both impassioned encouragement and thoughtful guidance to all those who occupy roles supporting people through difficulties."

- Dr. Luke Billingham, Researcher and Youth Worker, Open University and Hackney Quest”

“What gives this work its distinctive authority is the convergence of three forms of knowing that are rarely found in a single author. Dr Cherry has lived the experiences she theorises. She has spent decades in professional practice building settings, services and systems equipped to hold those most marginalised, and she has interrogated belonging with academic rigour through her doctoral research. That triple vantage point produces depth of insight that is simply not replicable from any single standpoint.

The framework travels across sectors with integrity but it is for educators that this book may prove most transformative. The experiences at the heart of it; migration, care experience, first-generation transitions, racial and cultural marginalisation; play out in classrooms every day. Dr Cherry gives educators the conceptual tools to name what they are witnessing, and a practice framework for responding in ways that move young people from destructive liminality toward genuine belonging and recognition. This is a book that changes how you see each child and should be on the required reading list of all education and social care courses."

- Phil Banks, CEO of St Christopher’s Trust

“Few books genuinely reshape the way we think about practice. Dr. Cherry's is one of them. By integrating the concepts of belonging, mattering, and liminality into a single, coherent framework, she offers a fresh and compelling lens for understanding not only human connection but also the transitional spaces where growth, identity, and transformation unfold. I was particularly struck by her exploration of liminality; the often-overlooked "in-between" spaces where identities are renegotiated and perspectives evolve. It is often in these spaces that our capacity for empathy and deeper understanding grows. Thoughtful, intellectually rigorous, and deeply practical, this framework doesn't simply answer existing questions; it changes the questions we ask. I highly recommend this book."

- Dr. Rehman Y. Abdulrehman, Clinical and Consulting Psychologist and Author of Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence

"This book presents the BML framework, an integrated approach to inclusion that combines Belonging, Mattering and Liminality as interconnected dimensions of human experience. It argues that traditional inclusion work is inadequate because it treats these dimensions separately. The book proposes that truly inclusive spaces are created when practitioners understand their dynamic interactions. This book is for educators, early childhood workers, social workers, youth workers and community service providers committed to equity and social justice. It goes beyond surface-level inclusion by providing theory, assessment tools and intervention strategies that practitioners can apply immediately. It is a theory-to-practice guide for creating spaces where individuals feel included, valued, supported and empowered through transitions."

- Stella Louis, Early Years Consultant, Trainer and Author