20 child protection

children

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powerful) are often worrying signs.

Warnings

You need a board (often helpful to have one prepared earlier) dice and two counters (ie, buttons, counters, chess pieces)
What do I do?

What resources do I need?

The board should consist of a Monopolystyle layout of squares around the outside of the paper. There should be a start square and then the following squares should either say happy or sad or like or dislike. Show the board to the child and let them choose a playing piece. Choose who is going to go first. When you land on a square (except Start), the player should give an example of something they like or dislike or that makes them feel happy or sad. As the child gives examples, make sure you ask follow-up questions. For example, if the child says they are happy when they sleep at their grandparents, ask them what it is that makes them happy at their grandparents.
What am I looking for?

If the child plays out extreme violence, this does not mean it has literally happened to them. Find out if anything else may have intruded into the story telling i.e. did they watch something on television recently and then recount it using the dolls? Has someone in the family recently died? Discuss your reflections with colleagues to avoid confirmation bias ie, you will only take account of things which confirm what you thought early on. Construct two or three plausible and credible alternative explanations for what you are seeing.
What resources do I need?
ResouRces in-depth interactive graphic at www. communitycare.co.uk/toolsdirectwork the adam project www.adamproject.tiddlyspot. com ncB resource pack: communicating with children: a two-way process www.ncb.org.uk Inform subscribers: research review evidencebased research into disorganised attachment and child maltreatment AuthoRs David shemmings is professor of social work at Kent university, Yvonne shemmings is an independent child protection consultant and trainer, Yvalia Febrer is a social worker formerly of Hounslow and now at richmonds children and families team, Alice cook is a senior family support worker in Surreys child protection team, claire Denham is a social worker in Lewishams family support and intervention team, Fran Feeley is a social worker with the St michaels fellowship in south London and David Wilkins is a deputy team manager in enfields disabled childrens team.

Dolls (such as Playmobile people) or toy animals that can represent various people in a childs life.
What do I do?

Watch for whether they find it easier to find examples of one emotion over another (ie angry over happy). Think about whether the examples they give are things that would make most children feel that way, ie if the child says they feel happy when they are in hospital, is it because they have a favourite nurse or because they do not like it at home?

4 Dolls
What is the technique?

Using dolls or animals to represent people in the childs life, begin a story and then ask the child to show and tell you what might happen next. This technique is based upon techniques such as the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP) developed at the Anna Freud What am I looking for? Centre in London. To assess attachment The type of story the child tells can in children, you would need to be fully represent their understanding of family trained in the technique. relationships. Stories that end up with signs However, the use of any story or of catastrophe (the father and mother end role-play involving low-levels of conflict, up dead in the story), good/bad switch such as a short separation, an argument, (where mummy or daddy suddenly switch or a minor accident, can still give insights between being good then bad then good into a childs world. It is most useful with without any explanation as to why) and children aged, developmentally, between omnipotence in the child Page 1 four and nine years. BMC_Strip_Ad_FirstCallCrisis_193x30:Layout 1 6/5/10 09:32(magic, all-

Explain to the child that you want to play a game with them about a family. Allow them to name the dolls but do not let them choose their own name for any of the dolls. Begin the story and then ask the child to show and tell you what might happen next. A simple example requiring only a mummy and daddy doll is: Daddy doll: Have you got the map Mummy doll: No, I thought you had it Daddy doll: Well I havent and now were lost Ask the child to show and tell you what happens next. Act out the scenario but do not use an overtly angry tone. Do not lead the child or ask probing questions. Clarification is often best achieved by occasionally repeating back what the child has said, especially when you are not sure what they mean (or if they are barely audible). Praise the child for telling the story but avoid praising the story itself, as again the child may think you want them to say certain things.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Title evidence-based research into disorganised attachment and child maltreatment Author David and Yvonne shemmings

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