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Helping Foster Carers, Helping Children: Using Attachment Theory to Guide Practice*

Children with the worst early experiences present a considerable challenge for those helping them. Fostering is a vital resource in the care of these children. However, as Kim Golding argues in this paper, to be successful, fostering services need to be developed, supported and resourced to provide stable and therapeutic care. The extent of the difficulties experienced by the children needs to be recognised and services developed which can provide turning points in their development. Therapeutic options can be used that emphasise the role of the carer in the intervention, with a particular emphasis on the facilitation of secure attachment. Research and practice developments are urgently needed to explore interventions stemming from attachment theory for foster carers and the children they look after. The usefulness of attachment theory for guiding interventions with foster carers is explored, based on the experience of a specialist project set up to support carers of children ‘looked after’.