By Cindy Adams

Every parent thinks they know the basics of caring for a child. Feed them. Love them. Keep them safe. But sometimes the basics aren't always so basic. For the families enCircle serves, learning those basics can mean the difference between a child coming home or not.

That’s the space enCircle's coaching programs were built for: the gap between wanting to do right by your child and knowing how. Here, enCircle coaches walk alongside families navigating some of their most difficult seasons.

"A lot of times parents tell us we’re the only ones who have listened to them. The only ones they can trust," said Abby O'Neill, enCircle's Program Coordinator for Treatment Foster Care and Visit Coaching.

That trust is built before the first piece of advice is ever offered. For one father whose daughter was removed from the home, it took time before he felt safe enough to take the lead during their weekly visit coaching sessions at enCircle’s Richmond office. He worried about being judged. Most parents do. But as his relationship with his coach grew, so did his confidence. He learned to redirect his daughter from electrical outlets, gained confidence in changing a diaper and learned to read her cues for what she needed. The basics.

But for a dad who confided he hadn't been parented well himself, they were anything but simple. Still, he learned the skills and practiced them. He was focused on doing his best for her. Ultimately, he was granted custody of his daughter. More than a year later, she’s still home with him, and she’s not only healthy, she’s thriving.

For another family, the journey looked different. Their 11-year-old son, a child with autism and high support needs, is living in a group home. He struggles to communicate his feelings, which sometimes leads to aggressive behavior. Both parents shared a strong bond with him, but what they needed was structure.

"They didn’t want to look like the bad guy," Abby said. "They had to learn to be parental figures to him."

Through both family Visit Coaching and one-on-one Parent Coaching sessions, the family worked on discipline, emotional regulation and their personal challenges – employment, housing, their own relationships - that were weighing on them as parents. In time, their son was reunified with mom and is no longer in foster care. The dad found the Coaching sessions so valuable that he continues to pay for it out of pocket.

Stories like these are becoming more common. EnCircle’s Coaching caseload has more than tripled in recent years. It’s a sign of growing need and what is possible when families feel heard, validated and respected.

"We're so grateful to have the opportunity to bridge the gap," Abby said.

Learn more about enCircle's Coaching Services here.