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Young foster children and their carers: an approach to assessing relationships

Sarah Mares1, Marianne Torres2

  • 1Centre for Child Development and Education, Menzies School of Health Research, Australia sarah.mares@menzies.edu.au.

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
|July 16, 2013
PubMed

Insights

This study presents a method for evaluating foster child-carer relationships using play observation. This approach offers greater clinical insight than formal attachment classifications for at-risk children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Attachment Theory
  • Clinical Assessment

Background:

  • Young foster children face high risks of disorganized attachment and developmental psychopathology due to early life experiences.
  • Assessing relationships in this population requires sensitivity to atypical behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline an approach for assessing the quality of relationships between young foster children and their carers.
  • To highlight the clinical utility of observational methods in foster care settings.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a semi-structured play interaction to observe child-carer dynamics.
  • Drew upon attachment theory and clinical experience with a mental health service for foster children aged 0-5 years.
  • Emphasized identifying behaviors of clinical interest within the relationship.

Main Results:

  • A semi-structured observational procedure is proposed as part of comprehensive foster child assessments.
  • This method demonstrates greater clinical utility compared to formal attachment classifications.
  • Clinical material illustrates the application and benefits of the approach.

Conclusions:

  • Recommends incorporating semi-structured, relational observations into foster child assessments.
  • Advocates for caution in using attachment terminology without formal assessments.
  • Highlights the value of this approach for understanding and intervening with foster children's relational experiences.
Abstract

Keywords:
Young children in careattachment relationshipsfoster children and carersrelational assessmentsemi-structured play assessment

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