Attachment Theory

Think about the special adult(s) who was in your life when you were young. This could have been your mum, dad, grandparent, or someone else who took care of you a lot. Attachment Theory focuses on the adult(s) who was there for you and the important role they played during your childhood, especially when you were a baby and whenever you felt sad, anxious, or distressed.

Try to cast your mind back as far as you can...

During those early years when you were a baby, you needed someone to feed and cuddle you, and to keep you safe. You may not have realised it, but your special adult(s) was like your very own superhero. If he/she was consistently present and met your needs for nourishment, comfort, and safety, you learned that the world can be a safe place and that you are important and loved. You also learned that if you were scared, anxious, or hurt, you could go to your special adult(s) for help, and they would make you feel better and safe. And because you knew your special adult(s) was always there if you needed him/her, this made you feel brave and confident enough to go off into the big wide world.

If your special adult(s) offered you consistent and predictable care, it created a special home base you knew you could go back to for support. For example, you were able to develop the confidence to venture away from your special adult(s) to explore and play, knowing that when you returned, your special adult would be happy to see you, and they would comfort you if you felt sad or distressed.

Guess what?

How your special adult(s) made you feel when you were a little child helped you understand how people would treat you when you got older. This meant that if you were treated well, you most likely learnt how to treat others well, and how to make friends. Sadly, this also meant that if you were treated badly, you might have grown up to believe that the world is scary and dangerous and that you cannot trust anyone.

One final important thing to remember is that although our early life experiences are believed to be foundational within Attachment Theory, research has helped us understand that we can change over time. More significantly, we know we can change our thoughts and behaviours through positive relational experiences, which includes having relationships with others that make us feel safe, valued, and understood.

The role of Attachment Theory in children's social work

Attachment Theory is one of the most well-known theories used in child and family social work and is a popular lens through which practitioners can assess parent-child dynamics (Shemmings, 2015).

Reference to Attachment Theory and social work dates back to the social worker, James Robertson. His work at the Tavistock Clinic with John Bowlby, put forward early empirical evidence for Bowlby’s ideas about Attachment Theory. Robertson’s evidence was gained from undertaking close observations of young children, who were highly distressed when having to go into hospital or foster care, meaning they were separated from their parents (Howe, cited in Holmes and Farnfield, 2014).

Following on from the work of Bowlby and his colleagues, such as Robertson, researchers like Main and Solomon (1986) and Crittenden and Ainsworth (1989), transformed social workers’ thinking about the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect (Howe, cited in Holmes and Farnfield, 2014). 

Creating insight into the functioning of parent-child relationships

Attachment Theory has continued to play a fundamental role within social work - it has helped create invaluable links between children’s emotional development and behaviour and the quality of their relationships with their parent(s) and other attachment figures (Trevithick, 2005). Furthermore, research in Attachment Theory has helped social workers create ideas for how the effects of adversity in early life experiences, including separation and loss, can impact children’s developing minds, emotions, and behaviour (Cocker and Allain, 2008).

By focusing on the basic concepts of Attachment Theory and not attachment classifications, My Family supports the recommendation that the theory and its related research can provide ideas about the possible meaning of observed behaviours in parent-child relationships and can highlight areas of focus for support (Foster et al, 2025).

"Attachment isn’t the problem. Danger is the problem, and attachment is the solution.”

Patricia Crittenden