The role of professional caregivers : supporting children in local authority care

Children looked after by local authorities are considered to be some of the most vulnerable in society, often having experienced histories of abuse, neglect, conflict within their family of origin or other traumas. As a consequence, substitute care e.g. foster care or residential care is often used as a therapeutic intervention. The focus of this thesis is the role that professional caregivers play in supporting children in local authority care. Chapter I provides a critique of the research exploring the efficacy of therapeutic interventions designed to facilitate the attachment relationship between looked after children and their professional caregiver. Due to controversy surrounding the therapeutic application of attachment theory and a number of methodological limitations, a limited evidence-base was found. The clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed. Chapter II investigates Residential Children’s Workers experience of caring for looked after children, from a psychological perspective. Results revealed that their role and relationship with the children in their care, is affected by their emotional and psychological ability to cope with push and pull factors within a complex system. The clinical implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research made. Chapter III explores a reflective account of the author’s experience of both working clinically and carrying out research in this field. As many of the ideas were generated whilst conducting the doctoral research, the author applies the proposed model from the empirical paper to the reflections. Chapter III is written in a first person account.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo