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To be physically and emotionally available, to meet the child's needs, both when the care givers and children are together and when they're apart.

This will result in trusting relationships, where there is continuity, warmth and reliability.

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New care givers 'Availability'

Their goal is to change the child's expectation of adults, by being warm, consistant with emotional availability present in the relationship.

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Approach

There are different categories in the approach:

one is day to day care giving which is mainly characterized by routines and consistencies in daily activities, furthermore, predictability.

It should be established for the child to expect certain things within their day to day care giving, such as verbal and non verbal support, emotional needs responded to, signals of support and comfort.

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Development is where children begin to trust their caregivers, their thoughts and feelings begin to change in subtle ways. Their sense of self-worth and positive behaviours begins to display.

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AVAILABILITY

The concept of trust in availability of a secure base. Where children trust that the adult/caregiver will be there to support them. E.g the child being free to explore, play and develop. When children don’t/can’t trust in the availability of the adult, they become anxious, unable to play, concentrate, learn or develop. This can result in behaviour that challenges.

For the caregiver, they will need to have an understanding of how their own experiences of availability (and the responsiveness they received) can help or hinder them as caregivers themselves.

For the child, availability and responsiveness is shown through consistent, attuned responses (meeting the child’s ‘unmet’ needs, i.e needs that they don’t know need meeting). Understanding cues and organising their feelings.

The benefit to the child is that they develop a secure sense of self and resilience. The child develops  self-esteem, hopefulness for the future and capacity to reflect on feelings (mentalisation).

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ACCEPTANCE

Being unconditionally accepted regardless of what the child’s behaviour may be communicating.

To feel accepted, unconditionally, by their caregiver, is a basic need of children. A vital dimension of the caregiving cycle. Could be argued that, unless this aspect of caring for a child is satisfactorily accomplished, little progress will be made in the relationship.

Acceptance can be demonstrated to the child through consistency, ensuring the child knows that you’re there, naming the child’s feelings to help them understand their behaviours. The caregiver can also demonstrate this and practice this through doing it themselves.

The benefit to the child, over a prolonged period of time, acceptance can help the child to not only make sense of their previous experiences from a caregiver but also repair. The child will begin to feel good about themselves again.

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Key goal caregiving relationship.

Caregiver looks to promote autonomy but also work together to achieve cooperation.

Goal is child be effective with feeling, wishes and goals are valid. Helps a child become confident in seeking help from others. Child is able to compromise and cooperate. Lack of this may not develop a sense of self as competent individuals. They may become passive and over-compliant or seek excessive control and influence over their relationships with adults.

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Sensitivity refers to the caregivers capacity to stand in the shoes of the child, to think flexibly about what the child may be thinking and feeling, they will also hold the capacity to reflect this back to the child.

This allows the child to look at their own thoughts and feelings, and the feelings of others. As a result of this, this reenforces the child to manage their own emotions.

This can be recognised as an empowering approach.

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Provides an anchorage. Reassurance of practical and emotional support through life. A child with no close family will carry feelings of of psychological and social dislocation.

Their connection with the world will depend on their trust of the caregivers and family.

Helps child to belong

Includes the child in the family dimension.

Provides a sense of what it means to be a family member.

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FAMILY MEMBERSHIP

Helping the child to belong.

Vital strand of emotional and psycho-social development (link to Erikson’s Life Stages). Being sensitive towards the child’s experiences and views but also being mindful that family’s work in different ways. Links to the child’s need to develop a coherent sense of identity by making sense of these connections.

For children separated from birth families, life story work could be useful in helping the child have something concrete to draw on and refer back to. Continued contact (where appropriate) with family/friends. Helping the child to understand their place in the family they’re now part of.