Attachment - the early parent/child relationship - is one of the most important factors in child development, especially with regard to how the brain develops and the development of emotional and social skills.
Although the terms bonding and attachment are sometimes used interchangeably to describe love and affection from parents or a caregiver, attachment theory describes attachment as the quality of the relationship from a child's perspective, ie the enduring relationship which develops between a child and their caregiver pre-natally and during the first two years of life. Bonding tends to be used to describe the parent's relationship with the child.
The text above is taken from page 33 of Building the Ambition.
Children thrive from a base of loving and secure relationships. A child's parents normally provide this but it can also come from a key worker. The key person is accessible and available as a point of contact for parents and is one who builds relationships with the child and parents or carers.
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Children are better able to control their negative emotions in stressful situations.
Children develop better social competence, to learn to match feelings with words in dealing with what’s happening around them, and they are less liable to develop internalising and externalising behaviour problems.
Children are more confident about exploring the world around them.
Children learn through their parents caring behaviours to have a sense of worth, and to empathise and cooperate with others. These social skills help them to form strong relationships with peers in the future.