Therapeutic Foster Care
Take two children born on the same day, child ‘A’ grows in an emotional and socially caring relationship and child ‘B’ grows in an emotionally and socially neglectful relationship. The degree of pace and nature of child ‘A’ and child ‘B’’s brain development will depend on the ‘nature, pattern, and timing of experiences’ (Perry, 2006). That is, if child ‘B’ is rarely held, talked to, or soothed the degree of pace and nature of the developing structures and functions of the brain will be slower and less enriched than child ‘A’s brain.
Connect B4 Correct understand that child ‘B’’s rate of development, therefore, will be impaired in ‘key functional capabilities’ i.e., they may be less exposed to eye contact, the comfort of cuddles or joy and laughter. So, by the time child ‘A’ and child ‘B’ enter school, child ‘B’ may have only been exposed to say half of the ‘brain’ enriching experiences than child ‘A’ was exposed. Child ‘B’ will then have to navigate a world of misunderstood expectations of how they “should be” chronologically, i.e., the level of their learning and social abilities will not be in line with expectations related to their chronological age. These expectations on what level a child should be at, at a particular chronological age, rather than how they ‘are’, can easily lead children, such a child ‘B’ feeling disconnected; ‘not fitting in’ and ‘not good enough’. The world they encounter just keeps on reinforcing a sense of not being ‘worthy’ of relational input as they are left on the edges of the social group.
Connect B4 Correct understand that when a child or young person arrives in a foster or adopted placement, they need to experience the care and attention afforded an infant – the loving and unrelenting gaze and intensity of attention of a new parent. Spending time on getting to know each other socially and emotionally is key through engaging in repetitive physical activities on a ‘day to day’ basis, that can be fun and rewarding. This relational focus therefore sets the scene for creating ‘safety in relationship’ and the foundation of calming the brainstem and enhancing the limbic system begins and is core the Connect B4 Correct approach.
Successful interventions with children who have suffered adverse childhood experience requires a thorough, as much as possible, assessment of their trauma exposure, taking into consideration the age of the child at time of trauma and the duration of the exposure. Connect B4 Correct recognise the importance of creating a map of the elements of the brain that are likely to have been impacted by trauma can then be devised, including predications about how they are likely to behave in all aspects of functioning i.e., socially, cognitively. physically etc. The interventions need to be woven into the ‘day to day’ routines and be tailored, timely, relational, predictable, and responsive to the child’s emotional and social development, not their chronological age and, of course remember REPEAT, REPEAT and REPEAT. Establishing predictable routines that become part of the child’s everyday world and interventions where the child can experience a sense joy, mastery and reward are also an important factor.
It is the aspect of the repeating with sufficient duration that a sense of ‘safety’ can begin to emerge, and effective change can occur – remember we are changing biological structures. Telling and advising children ‘to behave’, will not change the biology, it is in the relational doing and being over time, again and again that change will happen. The interventions must begin with brain stem calming interventions - simple rhythmic and repetitive activities i.e., dancing, skipping, drumming, massage. The aim to all healing is to REGULATE, RELATE, AND REASON.
The Connect B4 Correct key to treatment is also having a sound knowledge of the foster or adoptive parents’ own experiences of being parented – we mostly ‘parent as we were parented’ and especially when under stress. Creating a reflective space to consider and relearn new ways of responding to these children is an essential element of support provided by Connect B4 Correct to the foster and adoptive parents they work with.
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