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  • Essay / Attachment Theory in Social Work Practice: Exploring the Potential

    Table of ContentsIntroductionAttachment Theory in Social WorkConclusionIntroductionTo further illustrate how attachment theory can be used in social work practice, in the essay it will be presented with a case study as a practical example. Pseudonyms will be applied to case study individuals in accordance with HCPC regulations to respect and protect the privacy of users of the service. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayAttachment Theory in Social WorkMariatu is a 35-year-old single mother of African descent. She lives with her son Lamin, aged 8, in a one-bedroom flat in south London. Lamin attends a local primary in their area. Mariatu's husband Jonny abandoned his family five years ago and she hasn't heard from him since. Over the past two years, Mariatu found herself unemployed due to an incident of verbal abuse towards a customer at her workplace. She was also involved in criminal activity to help finance her alcohol and drug addiction. Lamin was involved in a number of physical fights with his classmates. Teachers described Lamin's behavior as walking towards his classmate with a smile and then hitting him. When Mariatu is under the influence of drugs and alcohol, she sometimes hits her child. Non-accidental bruising was identified on Lamin's hand and, on several occasions, teachers reported that his son was attending school without the proper equipment. The family was referred by Lamin's school due to concerns about general neglect of the child's health, including the presence of non-accidental bruising on his hand. It is obvious that the basic goal of the social worker is to address problems of child abuse and neglect. This could be done by the social worker, investigating the records of several agencies to check whether Mariatu and her son are known to local authorities. From the results, the social worker could determine whether Lamin is classified as a child "in need" under section seventeen of the Children Act 1989. However, if Lamin is not classified as a child “in need,” the social worker may still need to complete an assessment of the family (Carr & Goosey, 2019). Attachment theory could help the social worker assess, observe and plan their work with Mariatu and her child. He or she might begin by applying an attachment perspective to explore Mariatu's early childhood experiences, which could provide insight into her relationship with her child. As attachment scholars posit, there is a direct correlation between insecure attachment patterns and the transmission of violence (Killeen and McClellan 2000). The social worker could use the Adult Attachment Interview (Bifulco et al, 2004) to assess the quality of Mariatu's close relationships and how she uses social support services. After this, the social worker could encourage an attachment-based intervention with Mariatu and her child to promote healthy and sensitive parenting. From an attachment perspective, Lamin's poor behavioral control toward classmates may be caused by poor parenting. According to Lishman (1991), children's attachment styles are strongly influenced by the actions of their attachment figures. By.