Permanency

Permanency

The loss of any consistent caregiver in a child’s life causes stress. When it is the primary caregiver, that loss can cause trauma by threatening a child’s sense of safety, security and survival. The impact of loss of a parent/caregiver is called attachment disturbance. By losing their attachment figure, infants and toddlers do not have a trusted figure that they can depend on to meet their needs.

If a child is removed from the biological parent at birth, the child should be able to form a secure attachment with a consistent and attuned caregiver since an attachment has not already been formed with the birth mother. Even adoptive parents can also develop increased oxytocin when attaching to a new child and helping create the attunement that is desperately needed.

In circumstances of removal from a parent, it is critical to determine whether there are other caregivers who serve as attachment figures for the child. They may help to bridge the loss of the primary caregiver and can provide consistent and sensitive response to the distressed child. A childs’ attachment relationships with a parent/caregiver is also impacted by the absence of the emotional caregiver. For example, if a caregiver is depressed, emotionally unstable or under the influence of drugs or alcohol they are not likely to respond appropriately or consistently to child’s needs. This creates a consistent rupture experience, impacting the child’s ability to form a healthy attachment.

Module 2, Handout 2-Attachment Statistics

When using a developmental perspective, permanency must be approached in terms of the impact it has on a child’s healthy development. Is the child better off? The challenge is to take into account the relative harm of non-removal versus the potential psychological harm of removal and consider what steps could be taken to buffer the impact of loss.

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