
The following illustration may help:
I am working with R, a 15 year old boy in care under s20 of the Children Act 1989. Until recently, R was looked after by a foster carer with whom he had a good relationship. He had lived in the placement for three years. Previously, he had had a series of placements with return home to his mother punctuating these placements. His mother has an ambivalent relationship with R. She has said that she wants him at home but has not followed through. I have been able to observe them together and I could see that R was probably experiencing an insecure ambivalent attachment style with her, and yet in his foster placement his relationship with the foster mother was more secure. R's early years were characterised by physical abuse, not only from his mother but also his grandparents. I speculated about the impact this might have on his neurodevelopment and wondered whether the earlier abuse was contributing to his current cognitive deficits (O'Hagan, K (2006), Identifying Emotional and Psychological Abuse: A Guide for Childcare Professionals, Maidenhead: Open Univ Press). R was asked to leave his placement last week while I was on leave, following a petty argument. On my return to work, I knew I had to try to repair the relationship with his foster parent since research evidence suggested that continuity in a relationship is as important as continuity in placements. I consulted with the children's mental health specialist in the department and was encouraged to bring them together to discuss what had happened. Although I have not yet been able to repair the placement, I have at least enabled them to keep talking.