Attachment--A Hot but Frequently Misunderstood Concept

As a domestic relations mediator and Guardian ad Litem, I frequently see parties and attorneys bandying about the concepts of "attachment" and "attachment disorder" for greater leverage in the dispute, and "[t]he concept of attachment can readily tip the scales in custody and parenting-time cases involving infants and young children."   See Pamela S. Ludolph & Mildred D. Dale, Attachment in Child Custody:  An Additive Factor, Not a Determinative One, Family Law Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 1, Spring 2012.  However, as Ludolph & Dale detail, "attachment is often incompletely understood in both the legal and mental health communities." 

The Inside Scoop on CYFD

As a New Mexico domestic relations mediator and child protection worker (CASA and GAL), I attend training and blog in these areas with fair regularity.  I have previously written in broad outline form about the New Mexico child protection laws, timelines and policies, and now report on training conducted in August 2011 by CYFD)and the Albuquerque Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program, in which CYFD gave a overview on CYFD policies and procedures from intake to placement.