Although development outcomes for children in Timor-Leste have considerably improved over the last ten years, several challenges remain. Significant numbers of children remain undernourished; pre-school enrolment and survival rates to the end of basic education remain low; violence against children is widespread; and adolescents’ futures are put at risk by issues such as teenage pregnancy, child marriage, and alcohol and substance abuse.
International research in developed and developing countries has provided strong evidence that early interventions supporting healthy physical, mental, and social development have long-lasting positive effects on children’s overall development, school performance, relationships, and productivity into adulthood. These early interventions are not only long-lasting but also much less costly than addressing problems that arise from delayed or damaged development. Increasingly, such interventions work not only with children directly but also with their caregivers to improve parenting skills and capacities, ultimately improving outcomes for children in these households.
UNICEF and the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) have identified the development of community sessions for recipients of the MSS’ Bolsa da Mae conditional cash transfer program as a potential entry point for a holistic, integrated, and nationally delivered parent education program for Timor-Leste. Specific tasks as part of this consultancy related to the development of these sessions were to:
- Map and assess existing parenting programs/parenting initiatives in the country
- Conduct a needs assessment of caregivers who have not benefited from parenting programs/initiatives to date and identify key messages to be promoted within the community sessions
- Conduct a partnership/stakeholder analysis to identify those who might play a role in implementation of the parenting program
- Create a draft framework for a parenting program, including key messages, delivery methods, and potential messengers, with a particular focus on developing community sessions for Bolsa da Mae beneficiaries
This document reports on these activities and suggests potential ways forward for the further development of the community sessions.
