Support positive attachments for children and young people.
Outcome 1- Understand the importance of positive attachment for the well being of children and young people
1 summarise theories of attachment
Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space (Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, 1969).
So what are the attachment theories focusing on? Attachment theory is focused on the relationships and bonds between people, particularly long-term relationships including those between a parent and child and between romantic partners. In my line of work, I have to focus on the parental and child attachment rather than the romantic partner one.
Bowlby (the creator and psychologist that researched into attachment theories) believed that the attachment that a child has from a young age affects how they will be when they are grown up. He came up with 3 different categories: secure attachment, ambivalent attachment, and avoidant attachment.
Secure attachment- where a child shows distress when the care giver leaves them and shows obvious joy on their return.
Ambivalent attachment- when the care giver leaves, the child is also distressed, but once they return, the child does not settle and in some cases, the child might passively reject the parent by refusing comfort, or may openly display direct aggression toward the parent.
Avoidant attachment- the child shows no emotion or change in the care giver leaving, or coming back.
2 explain why positive attachment is important for children and young people
A positive attachment starts when a child/ young person knows they are getting the basic needs met and feel secure by their parents’ care givers. When a children/ young person feel comfortable after this, they can then separate more easily from them and they are more likely to part take in the play and learning activities if they are secure emotionally. When children have strong relationships or are able to have them,