Attachment for Teachers: An Essential Handbook for Trainees and NQTs

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Jeremy Holmes - The neuroscience of attachment (including the amygdala/frontal lobe development, mirror neurons and vagal tone) The authors argue that social work responses to adverse childhood experiences may contribute to improvement in overall health. They outline prevention and intervention response strategies with individuals, families, communities, and the larger society. Rose, J et al. (2015) Emotion coaching - a strategy for promoting behavioural self-regulation in children/young people in schools: a pilot study. The European Journal of Social and Behavioural Sciences, 13(1), pp.1767-1790 ( Open Access) Mental illness in household: A household member was depressed or mentally ill or a household member attempted suicide. Recognising and assessing other difficulties, including coexisting mental health problems and the consequences of maltreatment, including trauma Dingwall, N and Sebba, J (2018) Evaluation of the attachment aware schools programme: final report. Rees Centre, University of Oxford ( pdf)

The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (Iriss) is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Methodological limitations of this pilot study include small sample size, a volunteer sample, limitations to the randomization process, and no long-term follow-ups. The teachers who rated the children’s changed behaviour were also aware of the intervention taking place (but had limited knowledge of what the programme entailed). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2015) Children’s attachment: attachment in children and young people who are adopted from care, in care or at high risk of going into care. NICE Guideline 26 ( pdf) Bartlett, JD et al. (2018) The impact of a statewide trauma-informed care initiative in child welfare on the well-being of children and youth with complex trauma. Children and Youth Services Review, 84(1), pp.110-117 ( Open Access) We have provided links to the materials referenced in the summary. Some of these materials are published in academic journals and are only available with a subscription through the The Knowledge Network with a NHSScotland OpenAthens username. The Knowledge Network offers accounts to everyone who helps provide health and social care in Scotland in conjunction with the NHS and Scottish Local Authorities, including many in the third and independent sectors. You can register here. The interventions summarised below include trauma-informed, attachment aware and ACE approaches to interventions to support young people in the school environment and with educational attainment. Bartlett, JD et al. (2018) The impact of a statewide trauma-informed care initiative in child welfare on the well-being of children and youth with complex trauma. Children and Youth Services Review, 84(1), pp.110-117 ( Open Access)

Training and resources

This evidence synthesis focuses on programmes or intervention with the aim of improving behavioural, mental health or social and educational outcomes for children exposed to domestic violence and abuse. The authors state:

Holmes, P and Farnfield, S (2014) The Routledge handbook of attachment: implications and interventions ( ebook available through NHS Scotland) While schools may be implementing trauma-informed approaches, it is unclear to what extent or how much variation there is in what schools are implementing, how much emphasis they are putting on various components (e.g., workforce development versus organizational change versus practice changes) and whether schools may implement trauma-informed approaches differently based on the characteristics of their students, neighbourhood, country or other contextual factors. Adapt your classroom’s mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is a fabulous tool for counteracting the impact of trauma. However, it can also be threatening for children who have experienced trauma, as the practice may bring up scary and painful emotions and body sensations.

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Live and interactive online course, delivered via Zoom or Teams* exclusively for your team or organisation. Fancourt, N and Sebba, J (2018) The Leicestershire virtual school’s Attachment Aware Schools Programme: evaluation report ( pdf)

Condon, J. T. and Corkindale, C. (1997) The correlates of antenatal attachment in pregnant women. British Journal of Medical Psychology. Cambridge University Press, 70 (4): 359-372. Teachers are very aware of drop-off in the morning, and separation, when the children are very young,” he says. “But what I would emphasise is that separation responses in the morning are much less meaningful than reunion behaviour at the end of the day. Household substance abuse: A household member was a problem drinker or alcoholic or a household member used street drugs. Emotional abuse: A parent, stepparent, or adult living in your home swore at you, insulted you, put you down, or acted in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt. The British psychologist John Bowlby is fairly synonymous with attachment theory. From his clinical work with ‘juvenile delinquents’ over the course of World War II, he began formulating ideas about the role of early and prolonged separation from parents and caregivers in the development of problems in those children’s social and emotional development.This is why we can question the apparent excitement about attachment theory at the moment: there’s nothing a teacher can do that they shouldn’t already be doing. Knowing about AD and identifying it, is not enough – one needs to intervene to remedy it as far as it is possible. The bulk of this course therefore describes – and allows you to practise – the interventions that are available whether you are working directly with children or via others, for example foster carers. The evidence for clinical effectiveness of the studies included in the review was limited, and where an effect was found there were improvements in behavioural or mental health outcomes, with modest effect sizes but significant heterogeneity and high or unclear risk of bias. Psychoeducational group-based interventions delivered to the child were found to be more effective for improving mental health outcomes than other types of intervention. Interventions delivered to (non-abusive) parents and to children were most likely to be effective for improving behavioural outcomes. However, there is a large degree of uncertainty around comparisons, particularly with regard to mental health outcomes... Kahn, P and Vezzuto, L (2015) Understanding and responding to Adverse Childhood Experiences in the school setting. Orange County Department of Education, Center for Healthy Kids & Schools ( pdf) They recommend approaching behaviour through explicit teaching of consequences: that there’s a consequence associated with good behaviour and there’s a consequence for poor behaviour.

Children with secure attachments are more likely to develop emotional intelligence, good social skills and robust mental health (Howe, 2011) 3. Effects of insecure attachmentThey tend to underachieve in school and are often punished and even excluded. Little that schools do seems to work. As a result, these children and young people may not fulfil their potential as adults, either in employment or relationships. You are going around, feeling no one understands you, thinking, ‘I’m all on my own. I can’t trust anybody. I can’t listen to anybody.’ And that sets you off on the wrong foot. And that would make you a difficult child to teach because you don’t trust the knowledge that comes from the other.”