Parent Course Expression of Interest Circles of Security

Circles of Security is now available for Parents and Careers across Waterford City and County to attend.  This is open to Dads, Mums and Carers and is best suited for families with children from babies, toddlers and children up to 6 years of age. When registering please let us know your child’s age.

Read more below on the Circles of Security Programme, explained direct from the Circles of Security Website  which you can find here Circles of Security Website

The Circle of Security is a visual map of attachment. It is used in parent education and intervention programs to help caregivers better understand and meet children’s attachment needs. It depicts the interplay between a child’s need for exploration (going out) and their need for comfort and safety (coming in), with the caregiver acting as both a Secure Base and a Safe Haven.

Figure 1: The Circle of Security for the toddler and preschool years.

The Importance of Attachment

John Bowlby, the “father” of attachment theory, described its importance:

“Intimate attachments to other human beings are the hub around which a person’s life revolves, not only as an infant or a toddler or a schoolchild but throughout adolescence and years of maturity as well, and on into old age. From these intimate attachments a person draws strength and enjoyment of life and, through what he contributes, gives strength and enjoyment to others. These are matters about which current science and traditional wisdom are at one.”

(Bowlby, J. (1980) Attachment and Loss: Volume 1. Attachment. Basic Books: New York.)

The Circle of Security: A Visual “Map” of Caregiver-Child Attachment

At Circle of Security International, the focus is on helping caregivers connect with the children in their lives. The Circle of Security figure is a central visual used as part of interventions and engagement programs for caregivers, all of which are focused on helping caregivers reflect upon children’s attachment needs in order to promote secure attachment.

Guiding Principles

Here are some founding principles that underlie the Circle of Security model:

1. Attachment problems in infancy and early childhood increase the probability of psychopathology later on in life.
2. Secure attachment relationships with caregivers are a protective factor for infants and preschoolers, setting the foundation for social competence and promoting effective functioning of the emotion regulation and stress response systems.
3. The quality of the attachment relationship is amenable to change.
4. Learning, including therapeutic change, occurs from within a secure base relationship.
5. Lasting change in the attachment relationship comes from caregivers’ developing specific relationship capacities rather than learning techniques to manage behavior.
6. All caregivers want what is best for their children.