Nicole Milburn1
1Clinical Psychologist in private practice
Abstract:
The embedding of the best interests of the child in Court proceedings has led courts to rely upon mental health professionals such as Psychologists and Psychiatrists to provide assessments of parents. Just as there is no clear definition of a ‘good enough’ parent, there seems to have been no clear definition of a standard parenting assessment. This is a particular problem for infants and very young children, who’s mental health and developmental needs have been insufficiently covered in most mental health trainings. This presentation will review methods of assessing infants and parents, including assessments of attachment, highlighting some of the strengths and challenges. A model of standardised assessment will be presented that utilises well-researched and valid procedures to assess the internal and external aspects of relationships to formulate clear conclusions and recommendations. Case examples will be used, including video of interactions, to demonstrate the efficacy of the measures. Finally, issues regarding the reliance upon infant attachment in a forensic context, as per Forslund et al, 2021, will be reviewed through the lens of a case. – 250 Words