Professor David Shemmings OBE PhD University of Kent UK

1. Understanding the Child’s Inner WorldFrontline Fellowship Seminar King’s College London, 8 Dec 2017 Professor David Shemmings OBE PhD University of Kent UK Visiting Professor of Child Protection Research Royal Holloway University of London Director of the Attachment and Relationship-based Practice Project Co-Director of the Centre for Child Protection, University of Kent Director of the West London Advanced Child Protection Pathway d.shemmings@kent.ac.uk

2. Introduction • To understand a child’s experience - their ‘Inner World’ - you have to ensure that they stay in sharp focus within the family • Important that children do not become ‘invisible’ (recent open access paper by Harry Ferguson) • How Children Become Invisible in Child Protection Work: Findings from Research into Day-to-Day Social Work PracticeThe British Journal of Social Work, Volume 47, Issue 4, 1 June 2017, Pages 1007–1023 • https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/article/47/4/1007/2622323

3. Invisible Children • Two key reasons why children end up becoming ‘invisible’ • Too focussed on carers (cf work in Lambeth with Liz Bosanquet) – e.g. Harry Ferguson quote • Worker becoming emotionally dysregulated – e.g. Michaela Booth quote

4. Maintaining focus • Not enough to seek W and F • Centrality of the relationship • Emily’s dragons • Illustrations • Islands • Inside Out

5. Use of modern technology • Simulations • Secure Base priming