Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Attachment theory and research: what should be on the core curriculum for child and family social workers?
Show others and affiliations
Number of Authors: 352025 (English)In: Social Work Education, ISSN 0261-5479, E-ISSN 1470-1227Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Attachment theory is one of the core theories proposed for child and family social work, but concerns have been raised regarding misunderstandings and misapplications. Misinformation about attachment is widespread, and texts and teaching on attachment theory often emphasize aspects of the theory that have limited value for applied practice while other elements with greater practice value are often overlooked. As an international group of social work and clinical educators, practitioners, and attachment researchers, we propose an updating of the core social work curriculum on attachment. We present eight core concepts from attachment theory and research. These concepts support thinking about children’s relational needs and behavior, caregiving characteristics, and broader contextual factors. We argue that these concepts are particularly relevant for social work with children and families and should form the basis of teaching on attachment. We also address prevalent myths about attachment, to help protect students from misinformation and simplistic accounts, and support them to challenge misuses of attachment theory. Our recommended curriculum update aims to help trainee social workers appreciate the value of attachment theory for their practice and use the theory in helpful and appropriate ways.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Keywords [en]
attachment research, Attachment theory, children and families, curriculum, social work
National Category
Social Work Psychology (Excluding Applied Psychology)
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-246484DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2025.2531859ISI: 001534919700001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105011726944OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-246484DiVA, id: diva2:1995348
Available from: 2025-09-05 Created: 2025-09-05 Last updated: 2025-09-05

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Granqvist, PehrForslund, TommieHammarlund, Mårten

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Granqvist, PehrForslund, TommieHammarlund, Mårten
By organisation
Department of Psychology
In the same journal
Social Work Education
Social WorkPsychology (Excluding Applied Psychology)

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 52 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf