ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. Children's attachment styles are activated at points of separation and stress but also when attaching to activities, like attempting to join in, explore and play. Adults who are attuned to babies and young children offer a secure base: an emotional safe haven. Practitioners who enter the dance by being on the same wavelength calm a child physiologically when they are unsettled. Practitioners who pay attention to their own feelings while caring for children help themselves to understand why they may sometimes wish to push the more difficult feelings away. The importance of staff having supervision and collaborative problem-solving and reflective practice groups to help provide a secure base for practitioners can refuel emotionally and have a thoughtful space to think through their relationships with children.
