Equally, by the time most remote hearings start, I’ve usually had a chance to speak with the service user. At this stage, I typically explore the best options for providing remote assistance (either through an open phone line during the hearing, by using a CVP intermediary room or by text messaging during the hearing – all dependant on the technology available to the service user, and their level of literacy). In most cases, by the time hearings commence, myself and the service user will have exchanged numbers and set up a method of communication, to ensure they have access to simplification, recaps and other assistance. Today, things didn’t go so smoothly, but it can only get better from here! We make our fruit using laser-curved technology. In fact we’ve just launched our best product ever, the Imperial Lemon – it looks so real you want to squeeze it. Rosie has grown up in the shadow of her missing sister Emily. It's been 15 years since she disappeared and Rosie is determined to uncover the truth. As Eighteen year old Anna decides to defy her strict mother’s wishes and plans a trip to ‘Astroland’, one of Florida’s most popular theme parks. Paul wants the team to make some cold calls to find out who is buying plastic fruit but this is a new challenge for Anna who has to warm up her cold calling skills. Language for making a cold call

My name is Anna and I’ve been an intermediary at Communicourt for two and a half years now (wow time flies!). I studied Psychology at university and, once I had finished my course I became an analyst – which I found very boring as I had to look at excel spreadsheets for hours on end! But it was in this job that I first heard about the role of an intermediary from one of my colleagues. I started to research the role and it really appealed to me. I’ve always been interested in court. My Granddad became a magistrate when he retired, and growing up, I always loved hearing his stories from the courtroom. However, I was never drawn to a career in law. So, when I heard about the role of an intermediary, I was very excited at the prospect.

Broadcasts

Tuesday was supposed to be a day to catch up on admin work but, at approximately 10:30am, I received a call from the Communicourt bookings team asking me to cover a last-minute family court hearing. To make matters more interesting, the person I would be assisting needed some further assessment to gain a full understanding of their communication abilities. No Anna. Cold calling is when you call prospective clients when they’re not expecting you to, to ask them something or to sell them something. I’m very good at calling people. Do you remember watching this film and singing along to this song? Then, start whistling the tune because you love it so much? We have chosen this Disney classic because of its high popularity with everyone and anyone. I think tone can be as important as word choice. Give your name as if you're God's gift to the world, and it can sound either mechanical or pretentious.

The story was told in Anna and Rosie's POV by author Lizzy Barber. It was obvious from the very beginning where the story would go, but the reasons for the decisions were still unknown, and that captured my interest along with Lizzy's crisp and fast writing. But as the court case reaches its conclusion, will the system do its bit to protect other vulnerable people from these carers, and other people who might wish to take advantage of them? Do you want to talk to someone who will offer you a safe, non-judgemental space to explore your fears, talk about your dreams and important changes you would like to make in your life? Hooray for Anna. Now she’s sounding like a leader. And she’s mastered cold calling by using some simple phrases, like these:

Abuse, Anxiety, Bereavement, Cultural issues, Depression, Identity issues, Loss, Men's issues, Personal development, Relationships, Self esteem, Spirituality, Stress, Trauma, Women's issues, Work related issues Types of therapy The song is about the bitterness of a man who has worked long and hard, with no apparent reward - something that seems to be felt by most workers these days. Mmmmmmmm, an interesting but at times uncomfortable story of a girl kidnapped from a Florida Theme Park 15 years ago... It was then time to go home. On my train home I completed some admin tasks and wrote up the case notes from the day.

A Girl Named Anna is about two girls living very different lives. Anna lives in a small city in Florida with her Mamma who is very religious and makes Anna live by many rules. Rosie lives in the UK and is haunted by the disappearance of her sister fifteen years prior. I really liked how both stories are brought together in the book and it was very interesting reading from both viewpoints. I guess this would be considered young adult since the viewpoints are both teenagers, but it read a bit more like adult to me. She has never been allowed to go - so why, when she arrives, does everything seem so familiar? And is there a connection to the mysterious letter she receives on the same day? Permission for the service user to remain in their usual seat in the body of the court during their evidence (due to high levels of anxiety).This is a very intriguing mystery/suspense/crime/psychological thriller (yes, it fits all these boxes haha). It was in fact the winner of the 2017 Daily Mail first novel competition which is an awesome achievement. yeah, I always fly business class, it's the kind of guy I am… shame you're not available to fly with me but you know… We decided to put these two songs together as they have an interesting connection. George Harrison wrote the song “Taxman” and Chris Martin wrote “The Scientist” in Liverpool which was influenced by a song called “All Things Must Pass” written by.... you guessed it George Harrison. This is mainly the sister's story and as we switch seamlessly from girl to girl we start to get a sense of the differences that from the same instant in time have impacted both there lives so dramatically and while for the most part, I did enjoy this: It started to get slightly monotonous the further I progressed.

This, in conclusion, was for me an OK read that never really took flight: hoping its a better fit for you. I loved My Name is Anna!! I wanted to devour it in one sitting but my eyes had other ideas. Whilst at work I was thinking about what was going to happen next and how the 2 girls were feeling. Another tough story for a parent to read but I just had to know how it ended. It was emotional and had an ending that I didn't see coming. I would have liked it to keep going a few more chapters from where it ended but I just loved it.

More episodes

I think it was quite obvious the connection between Anna and Emily even from the synopsis and the line on the front cover " what if your whole life was a lie?"; the book was more about working out why and how the events happened. There are a lot of questions to answer throughout the storyline including but not limited to who exactly the mysterious sinister 'Father Paul' is who keeps popping up. The story is narrated by Anna and Rosie in alternate chapters and both girls were interesting likeable leads to follow as they respectively try to discover the truth. I found the ending a little abrupt and would have liked to have known more about what would have followed but overall I definitely enjoyed this book and look forward to future books by the author.