By focusing on how to be with children, we prioritise the relationship over the immediate result. This shift to attuned presence does more than solve today’s challenges - it builds the internal architecture children need for a lifetime of fulfilling, connected relationships.

Our work is led by specialists with decades of combined experience across the Department of Education, academic research in family and domestic violence, and university leadership in social work.

Whether working one-on-one with parents or consulting within school systems, our mission is the same: to move beyond behavioural management and address the foundational attachment needs that drive human development. We provide the expert guidance required to create a systemic shift - redefining nurture as an achievable, vital, and intergenerational legacy for every child.

Our team brings over 35 years’ combined expertise across public education, school leadership, university advisory roles, and family and social work research. This background gives us a deep, practical understanding of children, families, and schools.

As accredited facilitators, we make attachment science accessible to parents, carers, and teachers, supporting you to strengthen your relationships with the children you care about and for.

Read our full story and credentials on our ‘About’ page.

The approach shared here is grounded in over 50 years of Attachment Theory, currently the dominant scientific framework for understanding early social and emotional development. Circle of Security translates this extensive longitudinal research into practical relational tools, helping parents build the secure foundations children need for long-term emotional resilience. You can explore the clinical evidence and research papers supporting this global framework at the Circle of Security International research page.

Tuning in to Kids was developed at the University of Melbourne and is backed by numerous randomised controlled trials. These studies demonstrate that focusing on "emotion coaching" significantly improves a child’s emotional intelligence and social skills while reducing behavioral challenges and the psychological distress that can arise out of the adult-child relationship. For a comprehensive overview of the trials and outcomes associated with this program, please visit the Tuning in to Kids research page.

Circle of Security and Tuning in to Kids are further underpinned by the synergy between intergenerational neurobiology and the field of epigenetics. In The Nurture Revolution (2023), neuroscientist Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum highlights how responsive, "high-nurture" parenting during the first three years and beyond is a biological necessity that physically shapes a child’s brain architecture. The emerging field of epigenetics shows that while genes provide the blueprint, early experiences determine how those genes are expressed. As the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child illustrates, nurturing relationships act as a vital buffer against stress, influencing lifelong health and mental wellbeing.

Children are the instruction manual. What does this mean?

Children communicate their needs to us all the time. However, most of us grew up in a behaviourist culture, where we were taught to manage a child’s behaviours rather than understand the internal world driving them. This legacy often leaves us with an incomplete toolkit for the challenges of navigating our relationships with children.

The Redefining Nurture Project facilitates internationally recognised, evidence-based programs that provide the road maps, observational tools, and reflective space needed to see beyond the surface. By bringing these gold-standard frameworks into your home or school, we help you translate complex neurobiology into a practical, relationship-centred approach.

When we meet the need behind children’s behaviour—even some of the time—we create more harmonious families and classrooms. We aren't just solving a temporary problem; we are building a child’s resilience, self-esteem, and lifelong capacity for fulfilling relationships.

If you’ve ever felt the urge to fix, ignore, distract from, or walk away from a child’s big feelings, you aren't failing - you’re human. Let’s look at the reasons behind that "alarm" and build a new approach together.

A common misconception is that a focus on nurture equates to a lack of boundaries; however, from a neurobiological perspective, true nurture is not about indulgence, but about providing the safety a developing nervous system requires. Rather than simply giving children everything they ask for, this approach involves looking beneath behaviors like hitting, shouting, or whinging to identify and address the innate physiological or emotional needs driving them. While this doesn't entirely prevent tantrums or tears, it ensures the adult-child relationship remains intact during these high-stress moments.

By acting as a "bigger, stronger, wiser, and kind" presence - a core tenet of the Circle of Security - the adult provides the essential co-regulation a child needs to experience big emotions without being overwhelmed. This "taking charge" in a kind way allows the child to process their feelings fully within the safety of the relationship, rather than being pushed toward a "happier" exterior for the adult's comfort. The “shoes off the bed” or “it’s time to leave the party” don’t change but the way we help our child navigate the feelings that might arise - changes everything.