Greetings!
Welcome our first e-newsletter of 2010. In our Spring edition we bring you news of the positive outcomes of a service the Centre has been running in a homeless hostel. We also bring you up to date with our latest activities, including a new research project on child development, a sell-out conference and a new book from our Parent-Infant Project.
We have included some new features in this newsletter. If you have any comments or suggestions about what you like or don't like about this newsletter we would love to hear from you. Just click here to send us your comments.
For more information about the Centre please visit our website. (www.annafreud.org).
Best wishes
The Anna Freud Centre
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Positive
Results for Homeless Families
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The Anna Freud Centre is committed to developing new treatments that will make a difference to the children and families. We strive to help the most vulnerable children and parents in society. As many families find it difficult to access services in traditional clinic settings our outreach groups and programmes are designed to bring our services to the families which need them the most.
Our work with homeless families
In one of these outreach programmes we are working with families living
in temporary accommodation in England's Lane hostel. Services offered include an
innovative baby clinic which addresses the needs of babies who may be affected by the conditions of living
in temporary accommodation. The Parent-Infant Project team from the Anna Freud
Centre and health visiting services have collaboratively developed a new model of baby
clinic.
How do we know this works?
Outcomes
for parents and infants in the hostel where this service model was applied were
compared with outcomes for parents and infants in hostels which did not have
such a service. The mental and motor development of infants in the intervention
hostel were significantly improved over time in relation to infants in the
comparison hostels. The findings of this evaluation indicate that the model
developed by the Anna Freud Centre may have positive benefits for infant
mental, motor and behavioural development.
What next?
We will share our learning and experience with other professionals. Through training and publications the lessons learned will help to build support and services for vulnerable families across the UK and beyond.
The
Parent-Infant Project also works with mothers and babies in prisons. To read an article about babies born in prison which recently appeared in
The Observer Magazine click here.
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What babies understand about things that grow
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 A new research project about infants'
early biological knowledge began in the Centre's Developmental Neuroscience Unit (DNU) during summer 2009. The project aimed to look at the
beginnings of knowledge about the natural world in infancy. Other researchers
have already found that young children are quite knowledgeable about animals and
the natural world.
The DNU team showed 14-month-olds animations of objects which changed
in appearance. These changes were either internal (they grew) or external (other
objects attached themselves to them). Early results suggest that by 14 months
of age babies already understand that events like growing might follow simple
rules, for instance, a blue object might grow a blue spot. However, where the
object is not in control of the change - when another object attaches itself to
it - they do not expect the same rules to apply.
This research should be completed shortly. The findings will be presented at a conference in Chile and to colleagues at the Child Study Centre at
Yale University.
The DNU needs you!We are currently looking for people to take part in our research projects:
- Expectant mums and mums with babies (up to the age of 14 months)
- Young people aged between 12 and 17
Incentives are available for taking part. If you know someone who may be interested in taking
part in our research or if you just want to find out more please get in touch with Lara or Sam on:
020 7443 2208 / 020 7443 2238 or email Sam or Lara.
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Mentalization Conference Sells Out
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On Friday 5th
March the Anna Freud Centre hosted a conference at the Brunei Gallery on
'Mentalization-based interventions for children, young people and families'.
The
conference presented some of the most exciting developments in
mentalization-based interventions with children, young people and families.
Building on the most up-to-date empirical research concerning the child's development
of the capacity to mentalize, it showcased a number of new clinical
interventions specifically targeting this key area.
Around
300 people attended and a significant number who attended the conference also
attended a Mentalization-Based Family Therapy training run on the days before,
and/or a training on mentalization-based group work in schools on the day after
the conference.
To
find out more about our conferences and courses click here.
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A-Z of Anna Freud Centre
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In this new feature we will bring you some interesting facts about the Centre and about the work we do to help children and families.
A is for...
Anna
Anna Freud was one of
the founders of child psychoanalysis and her work has profoundly influenced
thinking on child development.
A refugee
herself, she responded to the distress of children affected by war and poverty. In 1940, two years after fleeing from Vienna
with her father, Sigmund Freud, she set up the Hampstead War Nurseries. In 1947 this became the Hampstead Child
Therapy Training Course and Clinic. After her death in 1982, the clinic was renamed the Anna Freud Centre in her honour.
Attachment
 Attachment is specifically the bond formed by an infant towards its
mother or principal caregiver. In attachment theory, this bond is
thought to influence all subsequent relationships through to adulthood.
Attachment includes the process whereby such a relationship develops.
Click here to learn more about the history of the Anna Freud Centre.
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Parent-Infant Project:
New Book
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A
new book of the work of the Parent-Infant Project Team has been published,
edited by Tessa Baradon. 'Relational
Trauma in Infancy' (Routledge) includes contributions from the whole Parent-Infant Project team. Other Anna Freud Centre staff members, past and present (Miriam and Howard Steele, Inge Pretorius,
Peter Fonagy, Julia Newbury) have contributed chapters as well as leading
researchers in the field such as Allan Schore, Elisa Bronfman, Anne Murphy and
clinician Amanda Jones.
The book is available to purchase from the Anna Freud Centre (£20.99 plus £2 postage and packing). Email sara.mitchell@annafreud.org to order your copy.
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Help Anna Freud Centre while you shop!
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 There is an easy way to support the Anna Freud Centre while you shop online. If you visit your favourite shopping website (such as Amazon.co.uk) via the easyfundraising website, the company you are buying from will make a donation to the Anna Freud Centre every time you shop.
To register with Easy Fundraising and begin donating, go
to:
www.easyfundraising.org.uk/tafc
As well as helping us to raise funds, when you
shop through the easyfundraising site you can benefit from exclusive
special offers that you won't find anywhere else, helping you save
£££'s! There are many free offers available - too many to list here - so visit the Special Offers page at www.easyfundraising.org.uk/tafc for more details and to find the eVoucher codes.
Thank you for supporting us!
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| Donate |
 The Anna Freud Centre relies on voluntary donations. We need to raise £1.5 million in donations each year to continue our work with children and young people.
If you would like to help click here to make a donation online with a credit or debit card.
Thank you! |
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