Transitions Matter!
About this session
Early attachment between young children and their caregivers is the absolute foundation of healthy development. But children at risk of maltreatment who enter the child welfare system may experience a range of disruptions in caregiver which can threaten healthy attachment. These may include removal from their parents, changes in foster placements, entering and leaving visitation sessions, and/or return to home. Each transition has the potential to either strengthen/protect attachment or repeat a traumatic disruption. In this session we will present ideas for how we can use the tools of Early Childhood Mental Health to support healthy attachment and facilitate the best possible transitions.
Intended Audience: Early Childhood Mental Health, Case Managers, Guardians Ad Litem, Judges
Learning objectives
- Identify the impact of transitions of caregivers of children from birth to five, on the child’s experience of attachment.
- Explore the concepts of rupture and repair in regard to child-caregiver attachment
- Implement strategies for fostering a cooperative perspective between parents, foster parents, or kinship caregivers.
- Outline a supportive process for transitioning young children during placement/caregiver change.