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Fostering Attachments in Looked after Children: Further Insight into the Group-Based Programme for Foster Carers

The research reported here by Gemma Laybourne, Jill Andersen and John Sands offers further insight into an 18-session training programme for foster carers based on the attachment needs of foster children. The programme was originally developed by clinical psychologist Kim Golding, and evaluated by Golding and Picken in 2004. A revised version was later made available for purchase under the title Fostering Attachments in Young People who are Looked After and Adopted (Golding, 2006). Further to the initial evaluation, the present study also suggests positive results from evaluating this attachment-focused programme, especially in terms of the information obtained via continuous verbal feedback from carers throughout the training, from some of the objective measures employed and from semi-structured interviews conducted with carers after programme completion. It appears that this form of group work may be beneficial to carers, helping them to develop their knowledge and understanding of the needs of children with attachment difficulties and reducing some of the stress they experience when caring for their foster children. Of particular interest to the reader may be the reported impact of the training on the relationship between some of the foster carers and their spouse/partner (not included in the training). The implications of this issue and other evaluation-related issues are discussed.