Parent Child Attachment Play

Grace.4.Families is pleased to bring the wonderful work of Debi Maskell-Graham on attachment and Reflective Functioning, established in the United Kingdom. We are certified by Clear Sky Children's Charities, leading provider of Play & Creative Arts Therapy services for schools, professionals and families in the UK.

Parents and carers are often concerned about their children’s behaviour. We mistakenly think that by adopting a playful attachment approach, it would lead to less discipline and we would somehow lose control over our family life. In fact, the opposite is true. When our parent-child relationship is working, helpful child behaviour will generally follow and family life becomes more manageable and enjoyable. This often also results in positive change in school behaviours and performance.

Parent-Child Attachment Play (PCAP) is an innovative and empowering early help attachment programme for parents with children from 3-15+. Developed by founder Debi Maskell-Graham, this programme is based on the latest attachment research which shows that supporting the parent-child attachment relationship sets the scene for the best outcomes for our children, all the way into their adulthood. (provide link to research outcomes in attachment & adult outcomes)

At Grace.4.Families, the PCAP programme is delivered with parent groups, 1:1 or through a home-visiting model over a series of 6 sessions, with 2-4 follow up check ins. The programme shares 3 skills with parents and carers through interactive workshop-style sessions:

Play - creating weekly play opportunities with your child through the gathering of a box / bag of toys & activities designed around the preferences of the child
Containment - managing time, environment, emotions and helping children to make helpful choices
Head, Heart and Hands - an evidence-based attachment tool that increases parental understanding of their child and is proven to enhance attachment security in children

The PCAP programme supports the parent and carer with bite-sized, non-threatening and manageable steps that allow us to practice the 3 skills and enjoy a new way of being with our child. Once the skills are well-established, the parent or carer is helped to transfer them to problematic areas of home life. Is it a journey that we will take together and you will be supported.

We as parents and carers are most well positioned to effect the change that we wish to see in our family life and children’s adjustments.

This course guides and empowers parents and carers to develop secure relationships with their babies. This flexible and accessible programme can be delivered with groups, 1:1 or through a home-visiting model and is suitable from 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Who is this course for?

Any parents and carers of children from 3 to 15+, wanting to understand your child better and build stronger connections
Parents concerned about your child’s emotions and behaviours and wanting to connect better with your child and manage the challenges better
Parents going through some form of family stress and wanting to better connect with and support your child
Foster and adoptive parents who are desiring to know how to encourage and develop better relationship with your child in a doable, gentle and non-threatening way.