Supported Needs and Disability Office provides training on attachment and neurodiversity

The Ministry of Equality’s Supported Needs and Disability Office (SNDO) has provided training on trauma, attachment and neurodiversity for professionals in the lead-up to International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The SNDO arranged for Alice Macleod from Tribe Associates UK to deliver sessions in Gibraltar focused on classic attachment theory, the concept of a secure base, and the impact of trauma and neurodiversity on attachment.

One session was delivered to professionals in the Care Agency, including social workers, psychologists, care workers and foster and adoptive parents.

A second session was held for professionals in education, attended by SENCOs, Learning Support Facility teachers, St Martin’s School teachers, educational psychologists, Department of Education staff and staff from Loreto Convent and Prior Park schools.

The training aimed to help professionals better understand attachment and to provide strategies to support children and young people with attachment issues.

The sessions follow the publication in November of an Information Guide for Parents on Attachment and Neurodiversity by the SNDO.

The guide is intended to help families with neurodivergent children strengthen connections at home. It aims to validate the emotions families may experience and acknowledge the difficulties they may face, with the goal of empowering them to navigate their experiences together with confidence and understanding.

Families can access the guide free of charge online at disability.gov.gi/documents, with a flipbook version also available via https://heyzine.com/flip-book/e941b6cfcc.html.

The guide has been designed to be user-friendly and accessible, and the SNDO said it remains committed to supporting families and improving their experiences as they navigate the complexities of neurodiversity.