In This Issue: Separation and Attachment

The painful effects of separation and loss are experienced by children and their families, social workers, foster parents, adoptive parents—everyone touched by child welfare social work. In this issue of Practice Notes, we look at these powerful forces. Our lead article defines separation and attachment, presents ways to help a child deal with separation, and outlines the grief process that separation so often initiates. On page 4, we look at the dynamic between maternal substance abuse and infant attachment; we also provide you with an assessment tool to help you decide whether to remove an infant at this crucial stage. On page 6, we explore the influence grief has on foster parent retention. Why do some foster parents grieve the end of a placement so much that they stop fostering? What can you do to help them?