MAKE AN
M-PACT
Attachment theory , the most important tenet of which is that young children need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for healthy social and emotional development , has remained a prominent concept across a wide range of disciplines over 50 years .
It ’ s a foundational part of the learning for our Moving-Parents
The whole-family approach of Forward Trust ’ s M-PACT programme is reaping dividends , says Katherine Jenkins
and Children Together ( M-PACT ) practitioner training programme . The M-PACT programme itself has been delivered to families for nearly 20 years and can be best described as an evidence based , group psychosocial intervention that takes a whole-family approach . Through recognising the overlooked voices and experiences of children and young people , we aim to improve the wellbeing of families affected by addiction .
However , the enduring nature of attachment theory means that we must be particularly conscious of its relevance in the context of modern-day relationships . We must be prepared to critique its application in order to ensure M-PACT continues to achieve positive outcomes and meet the diverse needs of the families it supports .
This was an important question raised to us by Addiction
Professionals , when recently going through the accreditation process with them for our M-PACT practitioner training – a helpful challenge to ensure that what we were including in the course recognised some of the limitations of this theory and how we were able to respond .
The accreditation requires courses to provide an evidencebased approach to learning . As stated , attachment theory forms a central role within the M-PACT programme and it ’ s so well established that it ’ s often just accepted as evidence , including within the legal system . However , there have been a number of challenges over time which must be considered . metamorworks / iStock
18 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • OCTOBER 2022 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM