ABSTRACT
Most of the people have groups of friends that may change over the course of their lives. Changes may occur for a variety of reasons, such as moving to a new house, beginning a new job or starting a new school. 'Circle of friends' was originally developed by Pearpoint, Forest and Snow to set up a support network around an individual who is isolated. In some schools every member of a class is in a small friendship group that meets once a week with an adult facilitating. This obviously has time and personnel implications but, in many ways, is the most inclusive option. At some point in their lives most children experience difficulties with friendships. For some children these difficulties are long term and can have a lasting impact on their self-esteem and behaviour in school. Circle of Friends is a useful intervention for helping to build a group of friends around an isolated individual.
