Family Keyworker as a non-clinical and democratic figure to support hard-to-reach families from an attachment perspective

Abstract

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The text acknowledges the comments of Silvia Lordello and Daniel J. Puhlman on a paper entitled "The Family Key Worker as a Critical Element for Attachment Resilience in the Face of Adversity". Both reviewers offered valuable perspectives on the application of attachment to the work of family key workers (FKWs), allowing for a more nuanced academic and technical discussion.

Puhlman highlights the importance of carefully considering who provides what services, their qualifications and training, and the strategies and interventions employed. He expresses concern about the risk of FKWs using complex clinical strategies for which they may not be trained, which could compromise their professional integrity and lead to detrimental outcomes.

On the other hand, Lordello highlights the essential role of FKWs in promoting attachment resilience and creating supportive environments for families at risk. He suggests that training in the attachment perspective could enrich the work of various professionals supporting families.

The text acknowledges Puhlman's concerns and stresses that the focus of the work is not therapeutic, but rather a relational framework for FKWs. It also highlights the importance of sharing power and democratising knowledge in working with families at risk.