This case study explores Lorraine Prentice, Practice Lead for Fostering and Adoption at Argyll and Bute Council and Kirsty Hunter, Supervising Social Worker within the Family Placement Team at Argyll and Bute Council, experience with the Reflection on Childhood Attachment Tool course and assessment tool. It focuses on the overall impact of this training programme on their professional practices.
Background:
Lorraine Prentice approached Flourish, looking for a training solution that would enhance their team's understanding and application of childhood attachment theories. Her input was crucial in shaping a course that addresses the real-world challenges faced by professionals in this field.
In response, Elspeth Soutar, Course Lead, drew on her qualified social work experience and training in dyadic developmental approaches and mindful parenting to develop the Reflection on Childhood Attachment Tool Course. Her broad combination of training and qualifications in therapeutic and mindful approaches ensured the course was grounded in expert knowledge. While also tailored to address the practical challenges faced by professionals in fostering and adoption. The use of a reflective activity that was designed to feel interactive, colourful, and dynamic enabled previous learning to be brought to life and theory to be consolidated into practice. It had a dual purpose as an example of how mindfulness practices enhance our well-being and professional skills.
Q. What initially attracted you to the Reflection on Childhood Attachment Tool?
A. Kirsty:
Our family placement team is quite small, and although we were all getting the theory of 'slowing down', we weren't sure how to put it into practice. There was a gap in our learning as an assessing team that we wanted to fill.
A. Lorraine:
Firstly, a key thing for us was recruitment. We had people coming forward who were unsure what would be asked of them as a carer. Their decision was often driven by emotions rather than having the skills and traits to become a foster carer or adopter. We wanted to learn how to have those conversions about suitability better so that it was a mutual agreement. The course gave us a language to use and some legitimacy to have this conversation better.
Another big thing for us was disruptions. We wanted to be better at preventing arrangements from falling apart, and we also wanted to improve our communication with both parties if an arrangement does go wrong.
Finally, we wanted to refine the matching process. We wanted to firm it up and ensure we were clear about what each child needed before being matched with a carer.
Q. Did you find the mindfulness session useful?
A. Kirsty:
We found the mindfulness session, along with the tips how to slow down particularly helpful. This has allowed us to get a sense of ourselves before we try to look at what is going on for an individual family. As social workers, many of us are rescuers, and we go into a situation and immediately want to help. However, sometimes, we can be so focused on this that we miss so much. So, the mindfulness techniques surrounding 'slowing down' have been really helpful.
A. Lorraine:
The mindfulness exercise was something that some of us were familiar with, and others were not. It was a wonderful experience and a great way to start the session. It was something that we also did on our foster carer day. The feedback was that people were surprised that they could relax in a room full of people they didn't know very well. We encouraged them to think about how they could use it when dealing with difficult situations rather than just jumping straight in.
Q. Did you find the follow-up session valuable?
A. Kirsty:
The follow-up session was useful because it allowed us to reflect on what we have learned and how we have been implementing it.
A. Lorraine:
The follow-up session was really valuable because it got the theory back in our heads again and reminded us to slow down and properly assess the situations we are dealing with.
Q. How have you implemented what you have learned in a real-life situation?
A. Kirsty:
I recently had a call with a mother who was in crisis, and she had a daughter who was in crisis. It was important for me to slow down and gather my thoughts to better help. I introduced the theory of the boxes (representing Maslow's Hierarchy of needs). Without even having them physically there, it helped me understand, slow down my thinking, and ground me in the moment.
I was also recently doing some work with a foster carer, and we were talking about that young person's life and how we could help them. The young person joined us for this session and talked about school. During that conversation, I took a step back as I sensed we were missing the basics. Yes, there were issues with the young person missing school, but I wanted to know whether she felt safe. We did this by using the theory of the boxes, and from this, we realised that actually she didn't feel safe, and we needed to look at this before we addressed anything else.
Q. What is the biggest takeaway from the tool?
A. Kirsty:
We have really benefited from the experience we had. One of the biggest takeaways for the team was the importance of using the boxes. Using them has helped me stop the' busy brain' and allowed me to drop back to the basics. Reflecting on the theory through the boxes, I have begun to realise what we need to do in a crisis. The boxes are useful for yourself but also for the child or carer.
We have all used them practically in assessing individuals. They are a great way to communicate with an individual to visually see where they are at emotionally.
A. Lorraine:
A key thing we took from the tool was that we needed to know how well carers could reflect on their own experiences (and the significance of this). We learnt that we needed to add some self-reflection into the early stages of prep for becoming a foster carer or adopter.
The course has also helped give us structure to conversations that we sometimes take over. We now understand the importance of giving the opportunity back to a young person to find a way to communicate for themselves and explain what matters to them.
We've now got a 'language' to use when talking to carers about whether they are equipped to care for a child who has been through challenges. We wanted this to be a mutual conversation where they understood the reasoning behind our decisions.
Finally, we have gained a better understanding of things we need to know about ourselves so that we can look at prospective carers with 'more informed eyes': this, in turn, means that the children will have a better experience and opportunities to grow and develop.
Reflection on Childhood Attachment Tool
