The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/

Circle of Security (COS)

Note: The Circle of Security (COS) program was not responsive to the CEBC's request for information about their program. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources (websites, articles, etc.).

Scientific Rating:
4
Lacks Adequate Research Evidence
See scale of 1-6

Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
2
Medium
See scale of 1-3

Brief Description:

Circle of Security (COS) has been rated by the CEBC in the area of Parent Training. COS is a 20-week, group-based parent education and psychotherapy intervention designed to shift patterns of attachment-caregiving interactions in high-risk caregiver-child dyads to a more appropriated developmental pathway. Caregivers are encouraged to:

  • Increase their sensitivity and appropriate responsiveness to the child's signals relevant to the child moving away from the caregiver to explore, and then moving back for comfort and soothing.
  • Increase their ability to reflect on their own and the child's behavior, thoughts and feelings regarding their attachment-caregiving interactions.
    • Reflect on experiences in their own histories that affect their current caregiving patterns.

    Manual and Training section:
    The publicly available information indicates that there is a manual and some training available for the Circle of Security (COS), please contact Glen Cooper at glencooper@circleofsecurity.org or Robert Marvin at Robertmarvin@circleofsecurity.org. A detailed description of the training process can be found at: http://www.circleofsecurity.org-images-assests-cos_training%20summary.pdf.

    Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research:
    Circle of Security (COS) is rated a "4 - Lacks Adequate Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale because it lacks published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of a 3, 2, or 1; however it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs rated a 4 may have some published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have other studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the rating of a "4 - Lacks Adequate Research Evidence," please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

    There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Circle of Security (COS).

    References:
    Marvin, R., Cooper, G., Hoffman, K., & Powell, B. (2002). The Circle of Security project: Attachment -based intervention with caregiver-pre-school child dyads. Attachment and Human Development, 4(1), 107-124.

    Contact Information
    Name: Glen Cooper
    Affiliation/Agency: Marycliff Institute
    Phone: 509-455-7654
    E-mail:glencooper@circleofsecurity.org
    Website:www.circleofsecurity.org

    Date review compiled: June 2008