Place Matters: The significance of place attachments for children's well-being

Abstract

Whilst the social work literature rightly pays considerable attention to the importance for children's development and well-being of their attachments to people, there has been virtually no consideration of the role which is also played by their attachments to place. Drawing on research from fields such as human geography and environmental psychology, the significance of children's place attachments for the development of their identity, security and sense of belonging is examined. Evidene is also presented about the shrinking world of childhood, in which children's independent access to their surroundings is becoming ever more restricted as a result of parental fears, and the implications of this trend for the development of children's place attachments. Government policy relevant to these issues, including strategies designed to develop more child-friendly communities, is critically reviewed, together with evidence-based practice recommendations designed to improve the well-being of looked after children by promoting their place attachments.