The Use of Attachment Theory in Adoption and Fostering (Report‪)‬

Introduction Attachment theory is becoming increasingly relevant and useful in a range of social work roles and tasks. The work of Howe and his colleagues has been influential and important in applying many of the ideas and theories to social work (Howe et al, 1999); Beek and Schofield (2004) have been active in applying attachment theory to fostering; and I have previously written about the relevance of attachment theory to child protection and communication within social work (Walker, 2007). Schofield and Beek (2006) comment that attachment theory provides a scientifically rigorous and yet practical framework for making sense of children's challenging behaviours and for supporting caregivers in caring for such children.