Abstract
Approximately 3.2 million children in the United States received a response from Child Protective Services (CPS) in 2012, mostly due to neglect, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and parental drugs (Children’s Bureau, 2013). Children’s Bureau states that of these 3.2 million children, 86,747 were less than one year old. Maltreated infants suffer in various ways, due to not developing secure attachments to their parents. This study focused on the effects on attachment when children 0-5 years old are removed and reunited with their biological mothers. Participants in the study consisted of 35 social workers employed by foster family agencies, who completed survey questionnaires regarding questions on attachment. The results displayed that the attachment building process for children 0-5 is affected when they are removed from their biological mothers, placed with alternate caregivers, and reunited with their biological mothers. Various factors were found to play a role in children’s ability to attach to their biological mothers and alternate caregivers while in foster or kinship care placements.