More support for children and families in the very earliest years, through expansion in Health Visitor numbers and roll-out of Family Nurse Partnerships Only specially trained and qualified professionals should assess a child’s attachment style. However, it’s important for all adults working with children to understand what attachment is and know how to help parents and carers become attuned to their child’s needs. You might do this by working with them directly, or by signposting families to other appropriate services. In the long term, this can help improve wellbeing and provide positive outcomes for both the child and their caregivers. Understanding attachment in the early years Clare Langhorn (Head teacher of Special Educational Needs school) - A whole school approach, the difference in her school when it became attachment aware for her staff and students Parkinson, J (2012) Establishing a core set of national, sustainable mental health indicators for children and young people in Scotland: final report. NHS Health Scotland ( pdf)

Attachment is crucial to children’s psychological welfare and forms the basis of personality development and socialisatio This non-statutory advice clarifies the responsibility of the school, outlines what they can do and how to support a child or young person whose behaviour - whether it is disruptive, withdrawn, anxious, depressed or otherwise - may be related to an unmet mental health need. It includes recommendations for practice including positive classroom management and small group work, social skills development, peer mentoring and support from external bodies. Forster, M et al. (2017) Associations between adverse childhood experiences, student-teacher relationships, and non-medical use of prescription medications among adolescents. Addictive Behaviors, 68(1), pp.30-34 ( Available with NHS Scotland OpenAthens username or author copy) Your accreditation is given value by the fact of over 150,000 people having attended APT training. See APT accreditation for full details.

See the NSPCC’s advice for parents and carers on how to support their child’s mental health Childline Praise publicly and criticize privately. For children who have experienced complex trauma, getting in trouble can sometimes mean either they or a parent will get hit. And for others, “I made a mistake” can mean “I’m entirely unlovable.” Hence, teachers need to be particularly sensitive when reprimanding these students. It’s important for anyone who works with children and families to support parents and carers in building positive relationships with their child. Having positive interaction and play with caregivers can help a child’s brain to develop healthily. Corrective attachment therapy: how to become attuned to the child's needs; the importance of displaying 'positive affect'; how to give support to the developmental needs and capabilities of the child; how to develop a positive reciprocal relationship between yourself and the child; how to understand a child's inner working model and core beliefs; helping the child to review key events from the past; how to help the child manage defence mechanisms so they don't become maladaptive. Think about all your previous experiences with the child and their caregivers, to help you build a clear picture of their relationships and recognise any concerning patterns of behaviour. The impact of trauma and attachment

Garland, A et al. (2005) Racial and ethnic differences in utilization of mental health services among high-risk youths. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(7), pp.1336–1343 ( author manuscript). The NSPCC has many services that children and families can be referred to, from supporting parents and carers in taking care of their children to preventing sexual abuse and overcoming abuse. Nurturing adult attachments provide children with protective, safe havens and secure bases from which to explore and engage with others and their environment (Bowlby 1988) This report summarizes the final findings of an evaluation of community-based initiatives in Washington State that were intended to prevent child maltreatment and exposure to toxic stress, mitigate their effects, and improve several child and youth development outcomes.In short, teachers should do the same things that they do when working with any student with challenging behaviour. Whether the challenging behaviour is due to an issue with attachment isn’t really the issue. 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...