Making Sure Children Get ‘HELD’: Ideas and Resources to Help Workers Place Hope, Empathy, Love and Dignity at the Heart of Child Protection and Support by Nicki Weld, Russell House Publishing Lyme Regis, Dorset, 2009. 61pp. ISBN 978-1-905541-55-3, £19.95

This is a good, strong and engaging workbook that provides indisputably accurate advice and grounded explanations. The attractive A4 wire-bound presentation invites curious individuals to look further and not be intimidated by dense theoretical content that is often seen around the subject of attachment.

The aim of the book, identifi ed in the title, could perhaps be interpreted as a courageous and feisty challenge to the assumption that the core qualities of child/carer relationship, such being held with hope, love and dignity, are attributes that have to be skilfully and sensitively considered, developed and nurtured. The content provides good-quality descriptions of the principles of attachment and includes worksheets with practical strategies for practitioners to support carers. The Three Houses information-gathering tool, formed from Maori concepts of health and incorporating solution-focused principles, hints at the core ethos of the book and pro-vides a visual aid to support practitioners in the engagement with and assessment of children and families. The book successfully conveys concepts such as ‘love’ and ‘empathy’ in an accessible and understandable way. Feedback from mental health colleagues working with foster carers was on the whole positive, refl ecting that the language is clear and reachable and the worksheets practi-cal with some helpful prompt questions.

Perhaps the only hesitation related to the way in which these concepts are embedded in the complexities of the child/carer relationship. The workbook presumes a reasonably good level of emotional competence of the carer or practitioner. Otherwise, the incredibly complex nature of ‘creating attachments’ is distilled into what may be interpreted as a purely mechanistic tool. For whilst the principles of attachment theory (Hold, Empathy, Love and Dignity) cannot be argued with, the risk is that behaviours alone are practised but the affective connectedness is lost or worse, misunderstood. Carers may then become muddled and confused by the quagmire of their own emotional world, resulting in ever more confusing signals to an already vulnerable youngster.

Nevertheless, with skilful guidance and in the correct context, this book holds some gems. Sentences such as ‘understand your own life experiences and the way they impact on you as a carer’ go some way to address the gap previously identifi ed. The additional resources section provides invaluable and sophisticated assessment questions for professionals seeking guidance in

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Book Reviews

Edited by

Marjorie Keys

Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 379–381 (2010)

Published online 23 February 2010 in Wiley Online Library

(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/car.1109

‘A good, strong and

engaging workbook

that provides

indisputably accurate

advice and grounded

explanations’

‘The workbook

presumes a

reasonably good

level of emotional

competence of the

carer or practitioner’

380 Book Reviews

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 379–381 (2010) DOI: 10.1002/car

gaining clarity and depth of understanding about the quality and attunement of the child/carer relationship.

This book will appeal to professionals working with carers and professionals alike who are involved in the direct care, support and/or assessment of looked after and accommodated children. Messages encouraging thoughtful and refl ective practice are scattered throughout the resource and for this reason alone, it has to be considered a welcome addition to the wealth of training aides available to busy practitioners.

Margaret ConlonLecturer, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care,

Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UKPublished online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/car.1109

A Short Introduction to Attachment and Attachment Disorder by Colby Pearce, Jessica Kingsley, London, 2009. 111pp. ISBN 978-1-84310-957-0 (Pbk), £12.99/$19.95

Attachment theory underpins the work of those involved with children who have had disrupted relationships with the adults responsible for them, especially in the early years. Colby Pearce, an Australian psychologist and parent, has drawn on his experi-ence of children with attachment disorders and also securely attached children. The aim of the book is to introduce principles of attachment theory and to offer guidance when things have gone wrong.

The book begins with a review of the research which has con-tributed to the body of knowledge now available about attachment theory. Pearce describes how people become attached to their caregivers, why attachment is important and the types of attach-ment now recognised. He explains how the quality of care that a child receives impacts on all areas of his or her life, and the sig-nifi cance for individual children, their families and society in general. He stresses the need to understand why children behave in certain ways, rather than focusing on the behaviour itself. The fi rst chapter of the book also introduces the reader to ‘Matthew’s story’ which illustrates the principles of attachment theory that have been described. At the end of this and subsequent chapters is a summary of the principles and points raised.

Chapter 2 describes what happens when things go wrong for babies and children when they have tried to have their basic needs met by carers who are not responsive for one reason or another. The author is careful to emphasise the importance of a correct diagnosis, as other conditions such as ADHD have similar symp-toms to attachment disorder. The process of damage which chil-dren can experience as a result of poor attachment relationships

‘Messages

encouraging

thoughtful and

refl ective practice are

scattered throughout’

‘The aim of the book

is to introduce

principles of

attachment theory

and to offer guidance

when things have

gone wrong’

‘The author is careful

to emphasise the

importance of a

correct diagnosis, as

other conditions

such as ADHD’

Book Reviews 381

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Child Abuse Review Vol. 19: 379–381 (2010) DOI: 10.1002/car

and the implications of this damage are clearly described. This section again ends with Matthew, whose story illustrates some of the points raised as we learn more about his disorder.

As a practising social worker in the fi eld of adoption and foster-ing, the third chapter was the most interesting and useful to me. ‘Parenting the Attachment-Disordered Child’ gives a sensitive account of the diffi culties that can be experienced by those taking over the parenting role for these children, while practical advice recognises the extra dimensions for carers of despair, tiredness and frustration. The author does not fall into the trap of offering a magic wand, but explains how certain approaches to presenting behaviours could begin to reverse learned behaviours which have served the child well in abusive relationships, but which are anti-social or destructive to the child or others. Matthew’s story continues at the end of the chapter with a focus on the part the carer plays in repairing some of the damage, and illustrates how improving a core relationship can lead to positive change in other areas of a child’s life. The fi nal chapter then explores the range and usefulness of professional treatment while continuing to high-light the central role of carers, and a glossary of terms completes the book.

The book gives a good summary of problems and practice advice, but perhaps falls somewhere between a textbook for pro-fessionals and a handbook for carers. There are aspects of the text that could potentially make the information more accessible to readers from all backgrounds but the academic language might make it less attractive to some carers. I would be inclined to use the book as a tool, extracting relevant parts for the use of specifi c carers but using it in addition to focus my own thoughts about a particular child, in order to formulate a plan of action.

Sue WilliamsSocial Worker, Permanence Team,

Colonsay Resource Centre, Perth, UKPublished online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/car.1111

‘The author does not

fall into the trap of

offering a magic

wand’

‘I would be inclined

to use the book as

a tool, extracting

relevant parts for the

use of specifi c

carers’