Circle of Security

The quality of early relationships between caregivers and children forms the foundation for lifelong emotional wellbeing and social functioning. Circle of Security (CoS) has emerged as a popular intervention designed to strengthen these crucial early bonds through attachment-focused support for parents and caregivers. This blog post examines the evidence behind Circle of Security and how it aims to foster more secure parent-child relationships.

Understanding Attachment and the Circle of Security Approach

Attachment theory, pioneered by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, suggests that children’s early relationships with caregivers create internal working models that influence their relationships throughout life. Secure attachment develops when children trust their caregivers to be both a safe haven in times of distress and a secure base from which to explore the world.

Circle of Security translates complex attachment theory into accessible concepts for parents and caregivers. It visualises children’s attachment needs as a circle where children move from needing protection (safe haven) to needing support for exploration (secure base), and back again. This simple yet powerful conceptual framework helps parents recognise and respond appropriately to their child’s attachment signals.

Two Key Versions of the Programme

The intervention exists in two main formats:

1. Original Circle of Security: A 20-week intensive intervention involving video-feedback and individualised treatment plans conducted by expert clinicians.
2. Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P): A more streamlined, widely disseminated 8-session programme designed for broader implementation in community settings. COS-P uses standardised, video-based materials to facilitate group discussions and reflective practice.

How Circle of Security Works

The programme has several core components that work together to enhance caregiving capacity:

1. The Visual Roadmap

COS-P provides caregivers with a graphic image titled “The Circle of Security” that clearly represents a child’s core needs for both exploration and attachment. This visual aid helps parents conceptualise their child’s movement around the circle of attachment needs.

2. Focus on Caregiver Reflection

A unique aspect of COS-P is its emphasis on parental reflection. The programme encourages caregivers to consider how their own attachment experiences influence their parenting responses. This reflective component helps parents understand their emotional triggers (referred to as “shark music” in the programme) that may interfere with responsive caregiving.

3. Group Learning Context

COS-P is typically delivered in a group setting where trained facilitators use videos to stimulate reflective discussions about caregivers’ attachment experiences and their behaviour towards their children. This collaborative learning environment provides both support and normalisation of parenting challenges.

What Does the Research Evidence Show?

The research on Circle of Security shows mixed but promising results:

Positive Findings

Studies examining the original 20-week COS protocol found significant decreases in attachment insecurity and disorganisation compared to pre-intervention assessments. A study with 65 toddler and preschooler-caregiver dyads recruited from Head Start programmes demonstrated significant shifts from disorganised to organised attachment classifications, with many children moving into the secure classification.

A non-randomised controlled effectiveness study with 256 parents experiencing parenting challenges found that, compared to a waitlist control group, COS-P participants reported:

• Improved parental mentalising and self-efficacy
• Reduced caregiving helplessness and hostility toward their children
• Decreased depression symptoms

Within this study, mothers with older children reported the greatest reductions in caregiving helplessness, while parents with probable clinical depression reported the greatest reductions in hostility and depression symptoms.

Mixed and Limited Evidence

Despite these promising findings, the evidence base for COS-P remains limited. The Early Intervention Foundation gives COS-P a Level 2 rating, indicating “preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome” but unable to confirm that the programme caused the improvement.

A randomised controlled trial of COS-P with 85 Australian caregivers reporting parenting distress and child disruptive behaviours found limited evidence of effectiveness. The study revealed a greater decline in caregivers’ attachment anxiety and negative parenting relative to the waitlist control group, but most improvements were small and rarely statistically significant.

Who Might Benefit from Circle of Security?

Circle of Security was developed for a broad range of caregivers who may have varying levels of risk. The programme has been implemented with:

• Biological parents (both mothers and fathers)
• Foster carers
• Childcare providers
• Parents experiencing specific challenges such as substance abuse or perinatal depression

The programme is particularly designed for caregivers of children between 4 months and 6 years of age.

Applications in Educational Settings

An adaptation called Circle of Security Classroom has been developed for early childhood educators working with children from birth to 6 years. This version supports teachers in creating emotionally supportive environments and recognising how attachment needs are communicated through children’s behaviour and misbehaviour.

Conclusion: Promise and Limitations

Circle of Security represents a thoughtful translation of attachment theory into practical parenting strategies. The programme’s strengths lie in its accessible conceptual framework, focus on parental reflection, and attention to the emotional needs underlying children’s behaviour.

However, as with many parenting interventions, the evidence base remains a work in progress. While some studies demonstrate positive outcomes, particularly for high-risk families, others show more modest effects. This suggests that Circle of Security may be most effective for certain populations and contexts, and highlights the importance of continued research to determine “what works for whom”.

For practitioners and policymakers considering implementation, it is important to balance the programme’s promising conceptual foundation and preliminary evidence against the need for more robust effectiveness research. For parents seeking support, Circle of Security offers a compassionate, developmentally informed approach to understanding and responding to their child’s emotional needs.

Citations:

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5543687/
2. https://guidebook.eif.org.uk/programme/circle-of-security-parenting
3. https://figshare.mq.edu.au/articles/thesis/Circle_of_Security_parenting_a_real-world_study_of_intervention_effectiveness/22114928/1
4. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/JCCP-COS-Published-Article.pdf
5. https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/examining-the-effectiveness-of-circle-of-security-parenting-cos-p
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35227399/
7. https://aifs.gov.au/research_programs/evidence-and-evaluation-support/cfc-program-profiles/circle-security-cos
8. https://www.vic.gov.au/circle-security
9. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/circle-of-security-model/research/
10. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/cosc-approach-research/
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33852163/
12. https://ndpsych.com.au/understanding-the-impact-of-circle-security-on-relationship-and-attachment-style-by-susan-george/
13. https://figshare.mq.edu.au/articles/thesis/Effectiveness_of_the_circle_of_security_intervention_in_an_Australian_community-based_clinical_population_a_consecutive_cohort_study/19426898
14. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/resources-for-parents/
15. https://researchportal.murdoch.edu.au/esploro/outputs/graduate/Enhancing-attachment-relationships-An-evaluation-of/991005545397307891
16. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/circle-of-security-model/what-is-the-circle-of-security/
17. https://circleofsecuritynetwork.org/evidence-based.html
18. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10503307.2022.2132888
19. https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/RIP0704-sample-chapter.pdf
20. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/2024/11/25/new-research-shows-support-for-circle-of-security-parenting/

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