"The Meaning of the Child Interview is the most important development in the field of attachment and caregiving since the Adult Attachment Interview." (Dr Steve Farnfield, course founder, Attachment Studies postgraduate programme, University of Roehampton, UK, co-editor ''The Routledge Handbook of Attachment'') "Ben Grey''s book offers a major contribution to our understanding of the attachment relationships between parents and children and is a substantial innovation for the field. It is an invaluable resource for researchers and clinicians working with children and families. If there is one book on attachment theory you purchase this year, make it this one!" (Rudi Dallos, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Plymouth UK, author of Attachment Narrative Therapy, and Don''t Blame the Parents) "Ben Grey has developed and researched the Meaning of the Child Interview over many years. The significance and reach of this compassionate and leading-edge approach to the assessment of parenting in child and family welfare practice is seen in this hugely informative, engaging and practical handbook. It outlines a clear path for how a systemic and ecological formulation of caregiving based in attachment dynamics leads to more nuanced choices for assistance and relationship repair." (Arlene Vetere, Professor Emeritus of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice, VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway) "As a child protection social worker, I found The Meaning of the Child Interview transformational. Ben Grey masterfully and accessibly integrates attachment, mentalising, offering a practical guide to developing rich, systemic understandings of parent-child relationships.

Through illuminating case examples, this book equips social workers with invaluable tools to enhance practice and truly help children and their families." (Richard Devine, Social Worker, UK and co-host of the Relational Activism in Social Work Podcast) "Our current child protection contexts often let down both families and practitioners, setting up both to fail. Ben Grey''s compassion shines through this book, whilst never shying away from fully considering the risks to the child or parent-child relationship. The Meaning of the Child Interview provides a meaningful alternative to current practice - it is a gift to those working with families facing adversity." (Dr Lizette Nolte, Research Lead, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, UK) "This book is essential and powerful reading for social workers, therapists and psychologists. The Meaning of the Child unlocks an understanding of attachment and caregiving for the reader and the effects of trauma and loss. The book will rightly play a part in shifting the assessment narrative on attachment to understanding and hope rather than blame and failure." (Barry Tilzey, Assistant Director, CAFCASS (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, UK) "In this thoughtful and engaging book, Ben Grey harnesses the rich potential of the field of attachment research, moving beyond its tendency to obsess about types of individual child or adult insecurity.

His work instead focuses on understanding relationships in their social environment. This enables creative, solution-oriented thinking about caregiving and relationships in child welfare practice." (Robbie Duschinsky, Professor of Social Science & Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, UK) "Ben Grey and colleagues make a powerful case for recognising that relationships between parents and their children are best understood as a dynamic interplay of past histories, present socio-economic circumstances, and future hopes. It is within the context of family life that children take on meaning for their parents, and this underpins parental behaviour. Exploring the origins and nature of these meanings becomes the shared purpose of both practitioner and parent leading to safer and better relationships between caregivers and their children." (David Howe, Emeritus Professor (Social Work), University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK) "In this manual, Ben Grey has not only succeeded in offering a compassionate and context-sensitive approach to understanding parent-child relationships, but also in elegantly charting an attachment-informed approach to qualitative analysis. This unique integration is a remarkable achievement, and I recommend it highly to all clinicians and researchers engaged in supporting parents with their challenging role." (Dr.

Mark Hudson, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK) "The Meaning of the Child Interview is a sensitive, nuanced, and practical means of developing a deeper understanding of caregiver processes - bridging the research-practitioner divide. This book is the definitive guide to this assessment practice: comprehensive, informed, and drawing on the latest research and theory." (Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling Psychology, University of Roehampton, UK) "The MotC is incredibly helpful in our work with families, making sense of the strategies parents use to try to keep their child safe. Our team especially value the formulation model, linking parental defences to the family''s wider context, so that interventions can be targeted, addressing parents'' hopes and fears, and the deeper drivers of concerning behaviour." (Jen Swift, Social Work Team leader, Southeast England).