Equity, Connection and Belonging Statement

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t Circle of Security International, diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice are at the core of who we are. We are committed to these values within our company and in our work as we partner with communities around the world. We use the conceptual framework of the Circle of Security (COS) to think critically about the historical, political, and social biases and inequities that impact the lives of families and children. We recognize that safe relationships are essential to honest and meaningful dialogue that promote growth and learning. We work to promote the narratives and experiences of all, particularly members of communities who have been marginalized. We engage in reflection to increase awareness around our respective roles and responsibilities to transform systems for the inclusion of all people. It should be noted that we often refer to caregivers by “mother” and “father” and use the pronouns “she/her” and “he/him” when referring to these caregivers. We acknowledge that not all people who parent identify using these pronouns.

We believe the Circle is present in all of our lives and we seek to ensure that our work is relevant and available. We provide our community partners with resources and support to explore and deepen their knowledge of attachment and the Circle. While Circle of Security was developed with parents in mind, communities around the world have found COS helpful to explore cultural and social constructs, to contextually interpret the expression of attachment needs, and to safely identify relationship strengths and struggles within families and across systems. We take care to invite safe exploration and support cultural perspectives and understandings of what is best for communities. In doing so, we honor ancestral wisdom while seeking to promote cultural strengths and ways of being in relationship that enhance security. When possible, we recognize and acknowledge ruptures in our relationships with our partners and actively seek to repair and rebuild trust and open communication.

At Circle of Security International, we believe that promoting attachment security aligns with many other efforts to address social inequities. We think connection and secure attachment should be looked at as a human right. Attachment is a foundational social justice issue. Supporting caregivers to connect with young children more deeply strengthens communities and is central to our company’s mission.

Circle of Security International has a history of underwriting our DEI and Belonging values by supporting providers around the world through discounted learning opportunities at many different levels. In 2024, we formalized our DEI and Belonging support by creating the Equity Seats Program. The Equity Seats Program is a way to coordinate and highlight our efforts to ‘live our values’ by supporting individuals representing marginalized communities around the world. Equity Seats support providers from economically developing countries and/or providers who serve marginalized communities or underserved populations to access the online COSP Facilitator training. Each recipient will receive a coupon code for an 85% discount to a future online COSP Facilitator training.

Circle of Security International Equity Seats are awarded using a lottery system. We expect there will be many more applicants than available seats and will track this over time. At this time, our online COSP training is primarily available in English; we do have occasional online trainings in Spanish, however.

The upcoming schedule of trainings is available here.

Once you fill our our short online application (the link is available on our registration site), you will receive notice in 10 business days via the email you provide and, if accepted, you will have 6 months to use the coupon code to register for your COSP Facilitator training.

For more on how the Circle has impacted communities, visit our COSP In the Community pages.