This study examines whether the School-Age Assessment of Attachment and Family Drawings can be used together to support the assessment and treatment planning of school-aged children and their families.
The research involved 89 children aged between five and 12, including children referred through mental health and child protection services. Each child completed both assessment methods. The findings indicated that the School-Age Assessment of Attachment was more effective at identifying risk and differentiating between types of risk. Family Drawings provided additional insight into forms of distress that some children did not communicate verbally.
The authors conclude that the most useful understanding of a child’s needs comes from combining attachment assessments with family history and information about parental and family functioning.
Authors:
Rebecca Carr-Hopkins — qualified social worker, child protection practitioner and attachment assessment trainer.
Dr Calem De Búrca — Head of Family Assessment and Treatment Services at the Bessborough Centre at the time of publication; currently CEO of Childhood Matters.
Felicity A. Aldridge — Lead Art Psychotherapist with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at the time of publication.
Publication details
Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Volume 22, Issue 3, pages 402–420, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/1359104517714589.
