Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Grow

Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Grow is a skills and competencies-focused program designed to serve caregivers of children ages 6 months–18 years who have experienced complex trauma. ARC Grow aims to support families affected by chronic adversity or stress to build caregivers’ skills and resilience to foster healthy child development and positive connections with their children. 

ARC Grow uses the ARC components-based framework that facilitators deliver in a structured format to individual caregivers. The ARC framework has three core domains: (1) Attachment, (2) Regulation, and (3) Competency. ARC Grow draws heavily from the Attachment domain of ARC. In the Attachment domain, facilitators aim to strengthen the caregiving system by building skills to manage emotional and psychological responses to trauma, enhance the child-caregiver relationship, and effectively respond to the child’s needs (which are often expressed as behavior). In the Regulation domain, facilitators aim to support caregivers in developing tools and strategies for increasing child or adolescent regulation skills, including the ability to identify, understand, tolerate, and manage their internal experience. In the Competency domain, facilitators support caregivers in building tools and strategies to improve caregiver decision-making skills, explore caregiver personal and family identity, and foster positive family connections. 

Facilitators begin each structured session with a check-in activity in which caregivers share their energy level before initiating a modulation activity designed to support regulation. Next, caregivers describe how they applied skills at home. Facilitators have caregivers complete an “All About Me Book” activity that aims to enhance their ability to reflect on their identity as an individual and parent. The facilitator then delivers key content from the ARC framework and shows how to apply core skills. Facilitators also assign Home Connection work to practice new skills outside of sessions. The session concludes with another modulation activity and a check-out activity in which the caregiver reflects on their energy and comfort levels.  

Within each core domain, the ARC framework includes two to three key treatment targets (eight in total), also known as building block skills. Each has a rationale, key concepts, subskills, tools, and techniques. Every ARC Grow session covers a specific topic related to a key treatment target within the ARC framework and facilitators tailor session activities to caregiver needs.   

ARC Grow can be implemented with caregivers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have experienced complex trauma using ARC Grow for Trauma and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (TIDD).  

The Prevention Services Clearinghouse’s independent systematic review of ARC Grow found that no studies met eligibility criteria for review.

As of December 2025, the ACF Assistant Secretary has final approval authority over the determination of the program or service rating. For more information, please visit the FAQ on the rating determination policy.

Date Last Reviewed by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse (Handbook Version 2.0): Mar 2026

Date Program or Service Description Last Updated: Mar 2026

Sources

The following sources informed the program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information: the program or service manual and the program or service developer’s website.

This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, download the Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Version 2.0