ABSTRACT

Attachment theory has contributed much to our understanding of how children develop emotional connections and bonds to their parents. For children who have been separated from their biological parents and find themselves with substitute carers, either through the looked after children system or more permanently through adoption, the process is considerably more complex. For the majority of these children, the attachment process involves managing simultaneously the loss or availability and connections with their birth parents as well as the forming of new bonds with their new carers. Others may have to manage multiple disruptions and changes of care givers before moving into a more permanent placement.