This, the third article in a series, discusses the ability of mothers caught in a cycle of recurrent care proceedings to recover their capacity to parent by reference to the personal accounts given by 11 such mothers who achieved this turn around. Comments on the pattern of childhood adversity leading to negative behaviours and teenage motherhood experienced by the mothers and the impact this had on their ability to parent. Identifies the factors and processes which contributed to the turn around in the lives of the rehabilitated mothers.