Foster Carers' TSD Standards covered:
- 1.3 Person centred approaches
- 2.1 Fostering role
- 2.3 Relationship with parents and others
- 3.3 Healthy care and medication
- 4.1 Encourage communication
- 4.2 Knowing about communication
- 4.3 Communication with parents, families and friends
- 5.1 Attachment and stages of development
- 5.2 Resilience
- 5.3 Transitions
- 5.6 Understanding contexts
- 5.8 Supporting disabled children and children with special emotional needs
- 7.1 Your role and approval as a foster carer
- 7.2 Being aware of the impact of fostering on your sons and daughters and extended family
Author Details
Name: Dr Jill Mack
Job Title: Counselling Psychologist
Current place of work: The Child Psychology Service
Intersubjectivity: The key to human connection
Often children who are fostered and adopted have missed out on vital early experiences that facilitate the ability to fully connect with another and to be aware of themselves, others and the world. Intersubjectivity is one such experience that creates a basic shared understanding between two individuals, usually the caregiver and baby. Humans are biologically wired to “coordinate their actions with others.” Intersubjectivity is the shared, reciprocal, experience between the parent and child whereby the experience of each is having an impact on the experience of the other. For example, children experience themselves as being loved, loveable, valued, valuable, and clever whenever their parents experience them as manifesting those characteristics.
Intersubjectivity exists between conscious minds.
When intersubjectivity is present, the child develops secure attachment.