The Attach Programme

The Attach Programme (TAP) is one of the interventions under the Primary Children Looked After Advisory Service (PCLAAS), and is our programme of trauma- and attachment- informed and responsive practice for Children Looked After.

As part of The Attach Programme, Schools are asked to allocate a Key Adult and Back-up Key Adult for their key child, alongside the School Named Contact, who will develop nurturing, positive relationships with the child; be physically and emotionally available for the child; advocate for the child; and contribute to Personal Education Plans (PEPs). The Key Adult and Back-up Key Adult will be a member of the school staff with whom the child already knows. The School’s Assistant Advisory Officer (AAO) will support the School Named Contact to identify and support these Key Adults.

Our Whole School Model has been developed to incorporate the many building blocks which a child needs to be safe and settled within the school environment.

There are several TAP Training packages:

1. A half-day Whole School Trauma and Attachment Awareness Training for the whole staff team. This will be a prerecorded training from PCLAAS by our Psychologist and Locality Lead, aimed at increasing the awareness of the impact of trauma on a child’s brain and body, relationships, and presentation within the school setting.
2. A two-day intensive training on trauma and attachment for School Named Contacts and Key Adults. This will be an in-person training delivered by our Psychology and Education staff, aimed at building on the learning in the awareness training, and supporting an enhanced understanding of building relationships with their key child(ren), training on the use of PACE, and case study, experiential learning.
3. Bespoke training packages developed and delivered based on an area of need the School Named Contact identifies along with their AAO.

All TAP training packages are provided by the PCLAAS Psychology and Education staff members jointly. In-person training will be offered at various times throughout the next academic year, at various locations across each of the EA locality areas.

Following on from the training, the School’s AAO will support the School Named Contact to implement the practices. The training also allows for the development and delivery of enhanced trauma- and attachment- informed Personal Education Plans (PEPs).

At times there may be a higher level of need for a child and their Core Network. TAP Consultations can be provided to develop the capacity of the team around the child in school. These can be child-focused, staff-focused, or school-focused consultations; and can be provided by the School’s AAO or jointly with one of the Psychologists within the Service.

The highest level of support through TAP involves Clinical Assessment and Team Formulation completed by one of the Psychologists, in which an in-depth assessment is completed with the child’s network to better understand the child’s experiences and develop a shared understanding of the child. Recommendations are then made from that about how the child can be further supported within the school environment.