Social Work Now, Issue 38, pages 11-20.
Children begin their lives entirely dependent on adults for survival. Bowlby (1969) believed that attachment behaviour was biological in origin, designed to elicit caring responses from adults. These responses, however, contribute far more than simply ensuring infants’ physical survival. The quality of children’s relationships provides the framework for the exponential development and learning that occurs in the early years. Attachment experiences lay the foundation for the child’s perception of self, others and the world around them. Attachment is not limited, however, to the early years, and adult capacity to respond to their infant’s vulnerability is strongly influenced by their own early experiences.
In this article I outline the significance of attachment, demonstrating the link with brain development and resilience, and describing the way in which children’s vulnerability is influenced by their attachment experiences. I also describe the way in which patterns of attachment may be transmitted from one generation to the next and the implications of this when assessing vulnerability in a social work context.