19th October to 7th December 2026

The Circle of Security is an early intervention program based on attachment theory, developed by Bert Powell, Glen Cooper, Kent Hoffman, and Robert Marvin. It’s designed to help parents and caregivers build healthier emotional bonds with their children by understanding and responding to the child’s attachment needs.

The program centers on a visual diagram — the “circle” — that maps two basic needs children cycle through with a caregiver: going out to explore the world (supported by the caregiver as a “secure base”) and coming back for comfort, protection, and help organizing feelings (the caregiver as a “safe haven”). At the top of the circle sits the idea that the caregiver should always be “bigger, stronger, wiser, and kind.”

Caregivers typically go through it in a structured, video-based group format, usually 8 to 20 sessions, where they review clips of their own interactions with their child and learn to read the child’s cues, recognize their own reactions or blind spots that get in the way of responding well, and build more consistent, sensitive caregiving.

It’s widely used in early childhood, mental health, and family support settings, including work with vulnerable or high-risk families (such as those affected by trauma or domestic violence), because it gives caregivers a concrete framework for repairing and strengthening attachment relationships rather than just general parenting tips.