It is nearly 70 years since Bowlby first hit the headlines with his WHO monograph based on his observations of children raised in institutions. The Association's recent publication Attachment: Current Focus and Future Directions is the latest addition to ACAMH's Occasional Papers series. This collection of papers on current conceptualisations of attachment lean heavily on hard, observational data from studies of vulnerable children, including deprived, institutionalised Romanian orphans, placed for fostering or adoption in the UK, Europe and USA.

The papers not only illustrate how far the concept of attachment has developed in 70 years, but careful reading will alert readers to the methodological pitfalls. A better understanding of these will reduce the likelihood of a headlong rush to providing premature therapies.

The contributors include Michael Rutter, Jonathan Green, Jay Belsky and Femmie Juffer. For more information and details on how to order please refer to www.acamh.org.uk/publications