Circle of Parents
Category
Family Support
Child's Age
0-1 years, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years
Participant
Children, Parents/Guardian
Languages
English, Spanish
Brief Description
Circle of Parents uses a mutual support group model. Meetings are co-led by group members and professionals. Meetings provide a place where parents and caregivers connect through open discussion - learning from each other and supporting each other while building the five protective factors with the ultimate goal of eliminating child abuse and neglect.
Expected Impact
- Improved parent-child relationships
- Increase in parent use of positive parenting skills
- Increased knowledge/use of community resources
- Improvements on Protective Factors Survey subscales of Family Functioning/Resiliency, Social Emotional Support, and Concrete Support
Core Components for Model Fidelity
- Group Meetings: Weekly group meetings are parent-owned and parent-led with support from a trained group facilitator. The facilitator allows and encourages parent leadership and shared ownership. Weekly discussion topics, speakers, and activities are identified by the group members, with at least half of the meeting dedicated to open discussion among parents. Groups have a consistent structure with opening and closing statements or rituals, group rules, and agendas defined by group members. Groups are open, free, confidential, ongoing, and typically last from 90-120 minutes. Support is encouraged inside and outside group meetings. Priority is given to activities, speakers, and discussions that relate to strengthening the five protective factors.
- Community Resources: Facilitators and group members share community resources that support healthy families and positive parenting.
- Children’s Group: A concurrent, free, parallel children’s group is provided. Best practices and purveyor recommendations indicate that the children’s group should be structured with lesson plans focused on social and emotional skill development. If a structured children’s group is not possible, at least offer childcare.
- Participate in Circle of Parents Network: Local implementers have access to support for ensuring fidelity of implementation, additional resources, advocacy, research, and marketing tools.
Languages Materials are Available in
English, Spanish
Delivery Mode
Primarily in-person meetings are preferred; although, some groups meet virtually to meet the needs of the group members.
Dosage
Circle of Parents groups meet weekly for 90-120 minutes and are ongoing.
Infrastructure for Implementation
Materials: Facilitator manuals, children’s manuals, and parent handbooks are available from Circle of Parents.
Space: Groups should be held in a meeting site that is safe, convenient, comfortable, and secured for at least a year. The meeting location should minimize travel barriers for families and should have a meeting location that provides separate spaces for parent group and children’s group/childcare.
Staffing Requirements
Circle of Parents Parent Group Facilitator:
- Facilitators should have experience in health care, human services, or another related field.
- Facilitators should have group facilitation skills and/or experience.
- Facilitators should be committed to the development and ongoing support of parent leadership.
Circle of Parents Children’s Facilitator:
- Lead Facilitators should have a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in child development or related field from accredited college or university is preferred.
- A minimum of two years’ experience working with children.
- Younger people, such as those under the age of 18, can work with children under the supervision of a lead facilitator.
Training for Model Fidelity
Prevent Child Abuse NC offers a 2-day Circle of Parents Training for parent group and children’s group facilitators and parent leaders quarterly (supervisors are also encouraged to attend). Some trainings may be offered in person in NC and others may be offered virtually.
Additionally, the National Circle of Parents Model training is designed for program supervisors, group facilitators, parent leaders, and Children’s Circle staff. This training is provided by the Circle of Parents Trainer(s) in the state who have completed the Train the Trainer training (provided by the national office in Richmond, VA). Both the National Circle of Parents Model and Train the Trainer training courses are delivered in person over 3 days.
The national Training and Technical Assistance Committee oversees training and TA activities.
Please visit the Circle of Parents website for more information.
Contact Information
Julie Rivnak-McAdam: Program Manager, Circle of Parents National; Nationalcircleofparents@gmail.com
PCANC’s Capacity Building Team (providing support to implementing agencies):
Johanna Agathon: jagathon@preventchildabusenc.org
Monica Hicks: mhicks@preventchildabusenc.org
Katherine Smith: ksmith@preventchildabusenc.org
Stacey Cunningham: scunningham@preventchildabusenc.org
Cost Estimates
Cost estimates are provided by Prevent Child Abuse NC (PCANC) in Circle of Parents: Estimated Costs for Implementation. Estimated costs include but are not limited to:
- Circle of Parents - $300 per person
- Materials for initial set-up - $800
- Materials for each group session (office supplies, printed handouts, etc.) - $40 per group
- Incentives for each group session (meals, child care, transportation, etc.) - $625 per group
- Staff salaries – vary depending on role
- PCANC expenses - vary depending on the site’s needs for ongoing support and professional development services provided by PCANC
Purpose Service Code (PSC)
5505 – Parent Education
Program Identifier (PID)
Circle of Parents
Minimal Outputs for NCPC Reporting
FY 23-24:
- Number of parents/guardians participating†
FY 24-25:
- Number of parents/guardians participating†
†Select Family Support Programs data collection will include basic demographic data for parent/guardian participants including Race, Ethnicity. Data on interpretation and transportation will be collected when appropriate.
Minimal Outcomes for NCPC Reporting
FY 23-24:
- Increase in parent social support
FY 24-25:
- Increase in parent social support
Minimal Measures for NCPC Reporting
FY 23-24:
- Protective Factors Survey, 2nd Edition (PFS-2)
FY 24-25:
- Protective Factors Survey
NCPC Evidence Categorization
Evidence Informed- Two evaluations. No comparison groups were used. Child ages were not provided in the studies reviewed. Outcomes may vary due to this unknown factor.
Research Summary
Two of the most recent publications on Circle of Parents include a statewide evaluation in North Carolina1 and an evaluation from four states.2 Populations sampled in the research included parents/caregivers from various states (including statewide evaluations in NC, MN, FL, and WA), diverse racial and ethnic groups (primarily White Non-Hispanic, White Hispanic, and African American), and families from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, with differing employment statuses, and education levels. While Circle of Parents is typically delivered to parents of children ages birth-18 years, the ages of children whose parents participated in these studies were not collected. Therefore, some findings may vary due to this unknown factor. Significant improvements in scores with large effect sizes were observed on the Protective Factors Survey subscales of Family Functioning/Resiliency, Social Emotional Support, and Concrete Support. Scores on the Nurturing and Attachment subscale improved significantly but with a medium effect size. Additionally, results indicated statistically significant improvements in parent-child relationships, parenting skills of participants, awareness/use of support services, and self-management skills.
- ^ See Harman & Blair (2020). This report details findings from Circle of Parents groups in North Carolina just before Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina (PCANC) had to postpone group meetings during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample population included 289 respondents from 53 Circle of Parents groups across 30 counties and 20 agencies in NC. Measures included the Retrospective Protective Factors Survey, available in English and Spanish. Paired-sample t-test analyses compared changes in participants' pre/posttest scores. Data was reported by each subscale and analysis included data sets with the pre- and posttest sections completed for each question with no more than one question missed in each scale. Therefore, the number of data sets that met criteria for analysis varied. Significant improvements in scores with large effect sizes were observed on the Family Functioning/Resiliency Scale (N = 280, p < 0.00, d = 1.114), Social Emotional Support Scale (N = 282, p < 0.00, d = 1.318), and Concrete Support Scale (N = 281, p < 0.00, d = 1.021). Additionally, scores on the Nurturing and Attachment Scale improved significantly but with a medium effect size (N = 278, p < 0.00, d = 0.598). The most notable limitation to this study is the impact of ending group meetings due to COVID-19, as the data collection period ended a month earlier than anticipated. The study also fails to provide information about the ages of children whose parents/caregivers participated in Circle of Parents.
- ^ See Falconer et al. (2008). This report details the outcomes of Circle of Parent groups in Florida (N = 188), Minnesota (N = 101), Washington (N = 564), and North Carolina (N = 89). Groups were led by parents and supported by trained group facilitators. Measures utilized in the study used a retrospective pre/posttest design, with surveys focusing on demographic characteristics and outcomes corresponding to Circle of Parents goals. Surveys were available in Spanish and English, written at or below the 6th grade reading level, and tested for readability by parents and professionals. Across all four states, participants were primarily female (ranging from 77.2% in Minnesota to 91.7% in Florida). In Florida, most participants identified as White-Hispanic (39.3%) or African American (39.3%). In Minnesota, participants identified as White Non-Hispanic (44%) or White-Hispanic (20%). In Washington, about half of participants identified as White Non-Hispanic (51%) and a third identified as White-Hispanic (32%). North Carolina's Circle of Parents groups identified as White-Hispanic (46%), White Non-Hispanic (29%), and African American (23%). Household income data was collected only by Minnesota and Washington. Participants in Washington reported a household income below the median of $20,000 (74%) while their counterparts in Minnesota primarily reported an income ranging from $20,000 to $44,999 (58%). Only Florida and North Carolina inquired about unemployment among group participants and found that 71.6% of respondents in Florida and 37% of respondents in North Carolina were unemployed. Additionally, three states reported education statuses and found that 86% of respondents in Minnesota, 66% of respondents in North Carolina, and 27.7% of respondents in Florida had completed high school. Child ages were not reported, although Circle of Parents groups serve children ages birth to 12 years. Participating parents and caregivers reported high levels of exposure to domestic violence, maltreatment, and family violence across all four states (37% in Florida, 74% in Minnesota, 44% in Washington, and 51.7% in North Carolina). Florida, Washington, and North Carolina used t-tests for paired comparisons and found statistically significant improvements in parent-child relationships, parenting skills of participants, awareness/use of support services, and self-management skills (p < .05). Study limitations include lack of detail regarding the ages of children whose parents participated, a small sample size in North Carolina, lack of long-term follow-up assessments, and no measure of verified abuse reports or incidents.
Researched Population
Note: Child ages were not provided in the studies reviewed. Outcomes may vary due to this unknown factor.
- Parents/caregivers from various states (including statewide evaluations in NC, MN, FL, and WA)
- Diverse racial and ethnic groups (primarily White Non-Hispanic, White Hispanic, and African American)
- Families from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, with differing employment statuses, and education levels
Clearinghouse and Compendium References
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare- rated NR Not able to be Rated
Falconer, M.K., Hasket, M.E., McDaniels, L., Dirkes, T., & Siegel, E.C. (2008). Evaluation of support groups for child abuse prevention: Outcomes of four state evaluations. Social Work with Groups, 31, 165-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609510801960890
Harman, A. E., & Blair, R. L. (2020). Circle of Parents: North Carolina Outcomes Evaluation. https://www.preventchildabusenc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-Circle-of-Parents-Outcomes-Evaluation.pdf
Local Partnerships Currently Implementing
Local Partnerships in purple have adopted Circle of Parents. Local Partnership contact information can be found here.