Breaking bonds

(T)here seemed to be a shared belief among adopters, foster carers, and social workers that old attachments needed to be broken and forgotten about before new ones could be made, leaving any underlying grief to subside as quickly and as quietly as possible.

As Boswell and Cudworth point out, and as Mary Dozier has also shown, both theory and research emphasize that gradual transitions in care are best for young children and for their caregivers. In fact, an old attachment does not have to be "broken" through abrupt separation in order for new attachments to occur.... 

http://childmyths.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/an-observable-problem-for-adopted.html

When NICE recommend that health and social care professionals be trained in attachment theory they do not have the above scenario in mind. According to the proposed guidelines all social workers in the care system should be trained in recognising and assessing attachment.

• It is more about assessing parenting quality
• Providing training for foster carers and adoptive parents
• Interventions for young people who are seen as the problem
• Guiding decisions about interventions

In other words, it is a missed opportunity to actually get something right by stopping the cruel practice of breaking children`s attachments.

The consultation on the guidelines closes on 13 July 2015.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2015/06/01/social-workers-need-training-attachment-according-draft-nice-guidance/