Children Webmag - APPG News

The All Party Parliamentary Group
for Children

by Alison Linsey

Secure Attachments

In February the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children (APPGC) held two very different, but equally interesting, meetings on ‘Secure Attachments between parents and children aged 0-2 and ‘Young Carers’.

Secure Attachments between parents and children aged 0-2

The APPGC, the APPG Maternity and APPG Parents and Families were privileged to hear from three very interesting speakers about the importance of infants establishing warm, secure attachments with their caregivers, as secure attachments are associated with developmental benefits. Attachment theory was first espoused by John Bowlby in 1969, and an attachment relationship between an adult and an infant can be demonstrated by a physical closeness between the infant and adult, a sense of security for the infant so that they can explore the world, and feelings of anxiety in the infant when separated from the adult.

Dr Helen Barrett (National Family and Parenting Institute and Birkbeck College, University of London; and Chair of the International Attachment Network) set the scene by describing attachment theory, experience-expectant and experience-dependent development, and the policy implications of attachment theory. Sue Gerhardt (UK Council of Psychotherapists registered Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, Clinician at the Oxford Parent Infant Project (OXPIP) and author of Why love matters) spoke about the neurological and biological evidence of the development of babies’ brains that supports attachment theory.

Finally Andrea Leadsom (Chairman of Trustees, Oxford Parent Infant Project (OXPIP)(1) described the work of OXPIP using a case study. Andrea set out the following courses of action that she believes could improve outcomes for children, their families and society:

• Parenting and relationships classes provided at school for teenagers as part of sex and relationships education. Organisations like OXPIP and Relate could help provide materials for these lessons
• The risk of poor attachment should be assessed pre-natally
• Health visitors and midwives should be trained to identify problems of poor attachment between parents and children; and specialist teams provided to receive referrals
• Statutory funding

Young Carers

Twelve young people from young carers’ projects in Medway, Middlesborough and Torbay came to Parliament to raise the issues that affect them with members of the APPGC. These young carers were supported by the Children’s Society Young Carers’ Initiative, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the Disabled Parents’ Network. Young carers have presented to the APPGC twice before in 2001 and 2003 (2).

Young carers are children and young people who have a caring responsibility for someone in their family who has a physical or mental illness, a disability, or a substance misuse problem. They take on caring responsibilities that are inappropriate to their age, such as personal care for a disabled adult or emotional care for a parent with a mental health problem. In addition, they are often also responsible for younger siblings and all the household chores. The 2001 census found that 175,000 of the UK's 5.8 million carers were under 18.

During the meeting the young carers raised issues about school, in particular: difficulties in getting the support they need within school; not being able to phone home during the school day; difficulties getting to school because there is no funding to help disabled parents escort their children to school; experiencing bullying because they are a young carer; and insufficient flexibility in special circumstances for extensions for homework or days off school.

As part of the day the young people had a trip up the clock tower in Parliament to hear Big Ben chime noon, and also had a ‘flight’ on the London Eye. Photos were also taken with politicians from all of the three main political parties to publicise an Early Day Motion on young carers issues tabled by Annette Brooke MP.

Parliamentarians were very moved by the young carers presentations and vowed to do more to help raise the issues in Parliament and lobby for change. This includes sending a delegation of Officers of the APPGC to meet with junior Children’s Minister, Lord Filkin, who has responsibility for young carers issues in the Department for Education and Skills.

(1)http://www.oxpip.org.uk/
(2)See previous webmag article: http://www.childrenuk.co.uk/chjun2003/chjun2003/appg.htm

Future meetings

7 March 2005 – Supporting children and families: focusing on the Every Child Matters agenda - how to target parents for interventions, key transitions in children's lives when they may need more support, what works in helping children and parents, and the role of grandparents and the extended family
Joint meeting with APPG Parents and Families

22 March 2005 – The Home Secretary, The Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP speaking about youth justice issues

Please contact Alison Linsey, Clerk to the Group (email: alinsey@ncb.org.uk):

• To be added to the email mailing list to receive minutes and notices of meetings
• For copies of minutes from any of the meetings
• For a free copy of the Group’s report ‘Commitment to Children’
• For any further information about the Group