ABSTRACT
This chapter considers what the child and family's experience might be of the relationships between these people, and wondering how those relationships will affect the interactions that the professionals have with the child and family. Systemic curiosity helps us explore not only what each person in the network can offer, but also what will be most useful to the child and carers at a particular time. The child's carers can play a key role in helping the network maintain a coherence of approach over time. Psychodynamic colleagues have focused on the child–carer dyad, while systemic colleagues have drawn attention to the impact of the wider network of relationships and the cultural and social contexts in which the child is situated. A recurring and connected theme has been the importance for the child/young person of a period of time in stable relationships with safe adults.
