Abstract
Introduction The Serious Case Review of Daniel Pelka, murdered by his mother and partner echoed numerous others in highlighting
the ‘invisibility’ child, and the failure to question the parental construction of the child’s difficulties. This workshop looks to go further and
understand why, and what might help make visible what’s missing.
Method A multi disciplinary workshop seeks to ask whether the inter-agency application of attachment theory and procedures may
draw attention to the very areas that appear to be continually missed by professionals. Particular attention will be given to:
1) Invisible Children: the role of compulsive attachments in deflecting professional attention, 2) The Meaning of the Child to the
Parent: examining how parents construct the meaning of their child and shape the nature of professional intervention
3) Competing Dialogues: creating a common language between agencies around the understanding of risk in parenting to allow a
shared meaning of the family to professionals.
Results This workshop presents the work of a multi-disciplinary group of child welfare professionals using attachment procedures to
create a common language for conceptualizing intervention with vulnerable children and families. It will feature excerpts of videoed
parent-child interaction; vignettes from parental interviews drawn from a new procedure developed to assess parental representations
of their child, developed as part of doctoral research with Roehampton University; as well as a discussion of how these ideas can be
implemented. The focus will be on how inter-agency application of these tools and ideas can help attend to the areas routinely missed
by professional intervention.
Conclusions Serious case reviews and enquiries have repeatedly highlighted the same professional mistakes and ‘missed
opportunities’ without sufficient attention to why such information is routinely missed, and what might draw attention to it. This
workshop will illustrate another more constructive way forward, based upon empowering professionals to make visible the invisible.
the ‘invisibility’ child, and the failure to question the parental construction of the child’s difficulties. This workshop looks to go further and
understand why, and what might help make visible what’s missing.
Method A multi disciplinary workshop seeks to ask whether the inter-agency application of attachment theory and procedures may
draw attention to the very areas that appear to be continually missed by professionals. Particular attention will be given to:
1) Invisible Children: the role of compulsive attachments in deflecting professional attention, 2) The Meaning of the Child to the
Parent: examining how parents construct the meaning of their child and shape the nature of professional intervention
3) Competing Dialogues: creating a common language between agencies around the understanding of risk in parenting to allow a
shared meaning of the family to professionals.
Results This workshop presents the work of a multi-disciplinary group of child welfare professionals using attachment procedures to
create a common language for conceptualizing intervention with vulnerable children and families. It will feature excerpts of videoed
parent-child interaction; vignettes from parental interviews drawn from a new procedure developed to assess parental representations
of their child, developed as part of doctoral research with Roehampton University; as well as a discussion of how these ideas can be
implemented. The focus will be on how inter-agency application of these tools and ideas can help attend to the areas routinely missed
by professional intervention.
Conclusions Serious case reviews and enquiries have repeatedly highlighted the same professional mistakes and ‘missed
opportunities’ without sufficient attention to why such information is routinely missed, and what might draw attention to it. This
workshop will illustrate another more constructive way forward, based upon empowering professionals to make visible the invisible.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2014 |
| Event | World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) 14th World Congress - Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: 18 Jun 2014 → 18 Jun 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) 14th World Congress |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Edinburgh |
| Period | 18/06/14 → 18/06/14 |