Marianne writes:


>
>It seems like the reasoning of the social workers is this: "Okay, we 
>have this infant here, in a very insecure environment, where the 
>parents cannot look after it and we now bring the child elsewhere, 
>but it might be tossed back again, for whatever reason, so we'd 
>better not give the infant what it desperately needs, because in the 
>future, there might not be a possibility to guarantee that the 
>infant/child keeps getting what it needs, so we'd better not give it 
>to him now, either, to make sure he does not get used to the really 
>good thing and will miss it later.


I don't think it can be that. I have studied with specialist social 
workers in adoption and fostering, have close friends who foster and 
who have adopted, and they are all very aware of the importance of 
attachment and the importance of enabling the 'secure base' for 
infants,  *especially* when that infant may be removed at some point 
in the future.

Attachment theory would totally support the idea that it's crucial 
for the baby to  'get used to the really good thing'  - even 
if/especially if it does not last.

It's the only way this baby will manage to make a secure attachment 
in the future with his permanent carers (and is what lies behind 
current calls from experts to avoid delaying adoption unnecessarily - 
you have a window of *months* not *years* to maximise the baby's 
chances of overcoming early emotional neglect, let alone frank abuse).

(This requires enormous strengths and resources and sacrifice  from 
the foster mother, of course, because attachment is a two-way street.)

So - given that attachment is understood as essential in the field of 
fostering, why would this not include permitting and supporting the 
foster mother to breastfeed? As a means of supporting the attachment?

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
-- 
http://www.heatherwelford.co.uk

http://heatherwelford.posterous.com

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