Learning about changes to attachment theory as a social worker

Attachment theory has a longstanding link to social care practice, dating back to early work by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, John Bowlby, in the 1950s. This area of work is complex, and has developed significantly over the years. How can social care practitioners learn from and apply these developments in their work?

At the centre of attachment theory is the premise that as children grow, their development is influenced by their experiences with their primary caregivers and other important people in their life. The focus is on the relationship between a child and their caregivers who are often, but not always, the parents. 

When I completed my social work training 13 years ago, attachment theory particularly resonated with me and I was interested in how this could help me in my work with children and families. This was amplified by my mother being a foster carer and I found attachment theory particularly helpful in trying to understand the behaviours of the children she cared for, rather than taking a child-blaming approach.

How can practitioners use attachment theory?

Research in Practice has recently published a suite of new resources and accompanying videos to support the use of attachment theory in children’s social care.  It has been surprising, fascinating and sometimes overwhelming to read about the developments in attachment theory.

Recent messages from research include caution against practitioners use of attachment theory, particularly in court and written work, due to common misapplications and use without specialist training.

So, if social workers and other practitioners shouldn’t be using certain attachment terms in their court statements and written work, is it a useful theory to learn about? The answer is yes: while many practitioners are not qualified to assess ‘attachment’, their work will still centre around the nature of relationships, and how these impact the way we make sense of the world around us. This is the heart of attachment theory.

We can see parallels across other areas of social care practice. For example, as practitioners we cannot diagnose parents with a learning difficulty. This would be an overstep of our professional role. However, it is still vitally important that we are aware of indicators of possible learning difficulties so that appropriate support and assessment can be completed. Attachment theory should not be any different. Practitioners can draw from attachment theory to inform their work and, crucially, consider what support can be put in place.

Exploring caregiver sensitivity can be an important aspect for practitioners to consider. Sensitivity refers not to their warmth, but the caregiver’s ability to perceive and correctly interpret the child’s signals and behaviours, and to respond to them appropriately and promptly. Observing certain behaviours - which may involve shouting and aggression, but also zoning out, dissociation, being overly intrusive and role reversal - could lead to discussion with the carer regarding how they respond to their child, what they feel their challenges are.

This could then inform a discussion to plan what would support them, such as a family support worker to help with the behaviour management of the child, attending an anger management course or seeking support for their mental health etc. In these cases a formal assessment of attachment may not be necessary, but a knowledge of attachment theory could help to inform the support they need.

As a social worker updating my own knowledge, and also supporting the learning of others in this role, and as a practice educator, the key messages that have stood out to me include:

During the development of the resources, I reflected on my own lived experience of being a parent and if attachment theory is helpful in this lens. My family unit has not had the need for any attachment assessment, formal or informal, however as a parent I do find the key premises of attachment helpful to be aware of and reflect on.

Whilst I can still be tempted to hypothesise about attachment patterns I may be seeing in the relationships around me, it is helpful to consider the key principles of being a safe haven and secure base, and showing sensitive and non-alarming caregiving, and what this will mean to families.

If we can support families to understand and develop these aspects of their caregiving, then even without attempting formal assessment or making assumptions, attachment theory has a space to support quality of social care interventions.