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Infant and Pre-school Attachment & Applications in Family Law Contexts

In stock

SKU
BC-UEIASF
A two-tier training opportunity in observing early childhood attachment, to facilitate relational health in the face of family challenge.

Presented by Prof. Jenn McIntosh, PhD, AM

Duration
Up to two days
Mode
In person

From $325.00

To $645.00

Key facts

Course category
The Bouverie Centre
Options
Option 1 Day 1: Thu, 6 Nov 2025 9:30am - 4:00pm (AEDT)In Person (Melbourne)
Option 2 Day 1 & 2: Thu 6 & Fri 7 Nov 2025 9:30am - 4:00pm (AEDT)In Person (Melbourne)
Duration
Up to two days
Prerequisite/s
Day 1 is a mandatory pre-requisite for day 2. Day 1 can be completed as a standalone workshop, or paired with day 2.
Certification
Certificate of Completion

Day 1: Observing Infant & Pre-school Attachment: Foundational Skills for Practitioners

Provides a primer for all practitioners on the functions of attachment in infancy and the pre-school years, and essential observational skills for accurately interpreting attachment behaviours. Extensive film footage is shown to illustrate the core behaviours that typify secure, anxious, ambivalent and disorganised attachments. The MERTIL resources give practical “ways in” to enabling families to build and repair foundations of attachment trust, especially in the face of challenge. The workshop will build confidence in observing attachment in very young children and in supporting attachment health in families with prior experiences of trauma.

Relevant Audience

Suitable for all practitioners working with families of young children.

Pre-requisite

No prior learning is required to attend this workshop.

Day 2: Applying Attachment Theory and Observation in Family Law Contexts

Provides a primer for all practitioners (social science and legal) working with separated or divorced parents. The knowledge from Day 1 is applied to case-based assessment and recommendation making, in court and community family law contexts.  Psychoeducational resources provide practical scaffolding for talking with separated parents about maintaining or recovering attachment health with their young child, in the context of living separately. Special contexts are considered, including family violence. Beyond supporting parents, the workshop addresses systemic barriers and constraints to attachment health in the family law system and equips participants across legal and helping professions to coordinate in enabling developmentally sound care for young children in separation.

Relevant Audience

Suitable for all practitioners working with separated families with young children. 

Pre-requisite

Attending the Observing Infant & Pre-school Attachment: Foundational Skills for Practitioners (Day 1) workshop is a pre-requisite to attending this workshop (Day 2). 

In Person options are delivered at The Bouverie Centre in Brunswick, VIC. 

Presenter

 

Professor Jennifer McIntosh AM is Director and Professor of Systemic Practice (Family Therapy) at the Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University and is a clinical and developmental psychologist, family therapist, and researcher. She has a particular interest in research translation and making developmental theories user friendly, enabling parents, carers, and professionals to consider the experience of children more sensitively in the context of family trauma. 

Over 36 years, Jenn has completed extensive training and research programs for the Australian Attorney General’s Department and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Department of Health, Office for the Status of Women, and national family services including Relationships Australia and Anglicare. Her interests as a researcher and educator in parenting and childhood trauma arise from a blend of clinical and research experiences. Studies and work in Australia, the UK and the USA have focused on the experiences of children subject to attachment trauma and loss, particularly examining the effects of parental deprivation and conflict in early childhood and the experiences of children in foster care. In 2019, Professor McIntosh was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to child developmental psychology. 

 

Testimonial

“Thank you to Prof. Jenn McIntosh for delivering a workshop on “Understanding Infant Attachment and the Applications to Family Law Decision Making” to our Family Law Pathways Network in Townsville, QLD. Prof. McIntosh worked with our network’s Project Officer to tailor the workshop to our specific needs and provided participants with pre-course reading and resources to supplement learning from the sessions. Participants from FLPN NQ consistently rated the workshop as 5/5 for relevance to work, quality of presentation and increased ability to assist clients. FLPN NQ would highly recommend this workshop to any network or organisation in the social and community services, allied health or family law sectors and are most grateful for Prof. McIntosh’s ability to be flexible with the subject matter over both days.”

Christina Santarossa, Manager, Family Relationship Centre & Regional FDR Services 
2024 Family Law Pathways Network North Queensland

Contact The Bouverie Centre

If you have any questions about this course, or are curious about our other courses and workshops, please get in touch at bouverie.training@latrobe.edu.au, thank you.

You can browse our list of professional development courses and workshops here and see what is coming up on our calendar here.

Terms & Conditions

We recommend that, before your purchase, you review The Bouverie Centre's Terms & Conditions on registration and payment, discounts, cancellations (including transfer of registration, refunds, and credit notes), privacy and data collection, and intellectual property here.

Frequently Asked Questions

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I would like information about a short course. Who can assist me?  

Email: LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au 

Phone: 1300 135 045

I have paid the fee for a short course. When will I be able to access it?  

On completion of your registration, you'll be provided with an account on our Learning Management System (LMS) and the course material will be made available at the advertised date, or as outlined on your registration confirmation email.  For our on-demand courses, access will be immediate.

What payment options are there?

  • You may arrange to pay by BPAY or EFT
  • For group bookings, we encourage purchase orders.  Contact us for a quote, and upon receipt of your purchase order we can make the course available to you.
  • Unfortunately, we are not able to arrange instalment payments.

Contact us on LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au for assistance. 

Can I arrange payment with a Purchase Order?

Yes, we accept Purchase Orders. Please email to LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au and our La Trobe Professional team will provide you with payment details and access to your course. 

I am getting an error when I try to log into my LMS account. Can you help? 

  • The first thing to check is your order confirmation email - it will contain your Learning Management System (LMS) account and password.  Note that this account may not be the same as your staff, student or previous short course participant account. 
  • The second thing to check is that you're logging on as a short course participant and not as a student - choose 'Other Users' - select Short Course as your institution and use your account and password as provided.

If you need any assistance, contact us on LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au. 

I want to enrol multiple staff in a short course. How do I go about this? 

Contact LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au so that we can discuss options with you.  

What certification will I receive?

The type of certification depends on the assessment involved in the course. For example:

  • Microcredentials:  You will receive a digital credential that confirms the skills you’ve acquired, any assessments you’ve completed and potential pathways for credit or advanced standing towards a degree. 
  • Other assessed short courses:  This may include bridging programs or courses that prepare you for external certification from a professional body.  You might receive a certificate of achievement or a digital badge (a digital version of a certificate of achievement).
  • Non-assessed courses:  If a course doesn’t involve formal assessment, you’ll receive a certificate of attendance.
  • Single-subject enrolment: If you enrol in a single subject, you will receive an official transcript for that subject.

Please note that short courses or microcredentials are not formal qualifications under the Australian Qualifications Framework but may be eligible for consideration as advanced standing (credit) towards a degree.

What is a microcredential? 

Microcredentials are short courses that are assessed, carry academic credit, and to deliver specific skills or knowledge.  While they can be taken as standalone courses, many are designed to be combined or ‘stacked’ with other microcredentials to form the equivalent of a subject within a degree program.  Upon successful completion, you’ll earn a digital credential that outlines the skills and credit obtained, and any opportunities for stacking.

For La Trobe microcredentials, any advanced standing or stacking pathways are clearly expressed on the course page.   

What is advanced standing?

Advanced standing refers to credit for prior study or formal learning that can be credited towards a qualification, thereby reducing the number of subjects required to complete a course. For short courses or microcredentials (if these have been completed through recognised institutions or platforms and are deemed equivalent to La Trobe University subjects), credit may be granted either for specific La Trobe subjects or as unspecified credit towards elective requirements of a La Trobe course.

For La Trobe microcredentials, any advanced standing or stacking pathways are clearly expressed on the course page.   Upon successful completion of the course, you’ll receive a digital credential, which may be used when applying for credit for the relevant degree at La Trobe.

For more details, visit the University’s advanced standing web page.