Attachment theory has significantly shaped the way social care understands children, families and early relationships. From the early work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth to its widespread use in assessment, supervision and court reporting, it has become a key lens through which practitioners interpret children's experiences and relationships.
But theory does not stand still.
In recent years, important questions have been raised about how attachment theory is interpreted, applied and sometimes simplified in practice. The ongoing and recent work of Dr Sarah Foster and Professor Robbie Duschinsky highlights the need to ask what the evolving understanding of attachment means, in terms of the evidence base, the use of attachment classifications, and at the assumptions that sit beneath our everyday professional language.
- What happens when a theory becomes embedded in systems?
- Where does nuance get lost?
- And how do we use attachment thoughtfully without oversimplification or misplaced certainty?
At the same time, new research is expanding our understanding of early relational life, raising further questions about what shapes children’s emotional development and how we conceptualise risk and resilience.
This CareKnowledge Live webinar, in conversation with Professor David Shemmings, offers the space to reflect on how our understanding of attachment has shifted over time and how it should alter the lens we use to understand relationships.
