IndexIntroductionAttachment Theory in Social WorkConclusionIntroductionTo further illustrate how attachment theory can be used in social work practice, the essay will be presented with a case of study as a practice example. Pseudo names will be applied to case study individuals in accordance with HCPC Regulation to respect and protect the confidentiality of service users. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Attachment Theory in Social Work Mariatu is a 35 year old single mother of African descent. He lives with his 8-year-old son Lamin in a one-bedroom flat in south London. Lamin attends local primaries in their area. Jonny, Mariatu's husband, abandoned the family five years ago and she has not heard from him since. For the past 2 years, Mariatu has been unemployed due to an episode of verbal aggression towards a client at work. She also became involved in criminal activity to help fund her alcohol and drug addiction. Lamin was involved in numerous physical fights with his classmates. Teachers described Lamin's behavior as walking up to his classmate with a smile and then hitting him. When Mariatu is under the influence of drugs and alcohol, she sometimes beats her son. Non-accidental bruising was identified on Lamin's hand and on several occasions teachers reported that their son attended school without the correct stationery. The family was referred by Lamin's school due to concerns of general neglect about the child's health, including the presence of non-accidental bruising on his hand. It is evident that the fundamental objective of the social worker is to address the problems of child abuse and neglect. This could be achieved by the social worker investigating records from multiple agencies to see if Mariatu and her son are known to local authorities. From the findings, the social worker could make a judgment as to whether Lamin is classified as a "needy" child under section seventeen of the Children Act 1989. However, if Lamin is not classified as a "needy" child, the social worker may have yet to perform a family assessment (Carr and Goosey, 2019). Attachment theory could help the social worker evaluate, observe and plan her work with Mariatu and her child. He or she could begin by applying an attachment perspective to explore Mariatu's early childhood experiences, which could provide insight into her relationship with her child. As postulated by attachment scholars, there is a direct correlation between insecure attachment patterns and the transmission of violence (Killeen and McClellan 2000). The social worker could use the Adult Attachment Interview (Bifulco et al, 2004) to assess the quality of Mariatu's intimate relationships and how she uses social support services. Next, the social worker could encourage an attachment-based intervention with Mariatu and her child to promote healthy and sensitive parenting. From an attachment perspective, Lamin's poor behavioral control towards his classmates could be caused by poor parenting. According to Lishman (1991) children's attachment styles are strongly influenced by the actions of their attachment figures. Therefore, if parenting is dysfunctional or abusive, this could affect children's ability to predict children's behaviors.