Two service evaluations of Leaplets – An early years programme for children in foster care and adoption, based on the Buss® (Building Underdeveloped Sensorimotor Systems) Model
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11940751 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah Lloyd (0000-0002-7622-8525, BUSS® Model, UK, corresponding author), Natalie Jones (0000-0002-6177-1808, University of Leeds), Danielle Smith (0000-0002-4302-004X, University of Leeds) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 471-493 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Adoption & Fostering (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0308-5759 • E-ISSN: 1740-469X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/03085759241298289 |
| OpenAlex | W4405003638 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
BUSS® is a relationally based intervention, bringing an appreciation of the role nurture, touch and movement play in the development of bodily regulation in early childhood. Following a neurosequential understanding of development ( Perry and Hambrick, 2008 ), BUSS® works to support foster carers and adoptive parents in understanding both the disruptive impact of trauma on the development of their child’s foundation sensorimotor systems and the critical role they can play in ameliorating this disruption. Good bodily regulation offers children a platform upon which relationships, emotional regulation and learning can grow ( Lloyd, 2023 ). LEAPlets is a group for children and their parents and carers, based on the BUSS® Model. It aims to build attachment relationships, supporting parents and carers in understanding and rebuilding their child’s foundation sensorimotor systems. This paper brings together two service evaluation projects of LEAPlets carried out by clinical psychologists in training. The first evaluation is of LEAPlets as a school readiness programme for children in foster care in Leeds. The second evaluation is the LEAPlets group in One Adoption West Yorkshire (OAWY) for new adoptive parents and their newly adopted children. While more research is needed, both studies showed improvements for the children in bodily and emotional regulation, communication and relationships, as well as positive changes in skill development, understanding of their child, and relationships for foster carers and adoptive parents. Models like LEAPlets, which address both the relational and sensorimotor consequences of early trauma, may usefully form part of early intervention programmes for care-experienced children. Training to run LEAPlets groups has been developed, and groups are now running in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. This will be explored and discussed, with reference to school readiness, impact on foster carers and supporting adoptive families early in their life together
Developmental psychology · Early childhood · Emotional Regulation · Foster care · Foundation (evidence · Intervention (counseling · Nature versus nurture · Political science · Psychiatry · Service (business · Sociology · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child Welfare and Adoption · Family and Disability Support Research · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology
The Circle of Security project
Content Analysis
Annual Research Review
The neurobiology of childhood trauma and abuse
A systematic review of the school performance and behavioural and emotional adjustments of children adopted from care
An innovative approach to working with children who have experienced developmental trauma
Assessing changes in the internal worlds of early- and late-adopted children using the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP)
Using thematic analysis in psychology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |