Parenting Support

Families will require support when faced with problems they are unable to overcome on their own. Ideally support should come from existing networks, such as extended family, religious leaders, and neighbours. Where such support is not available or sufficient, additional family and community services are required. Such services are particularly important for kinship, foster and adoptive caretakers, and child headed households in order to prevent separation and address abuse and exploitation of children. It is also vital for children affected by HIV/AIDS and armed conflict, and those children living on the street.

Parenting support services are typically provided by social and community paraprofessionals. They focus on the individual needs of a child or family, in order to address and overcome issues which may lead to family separation or harm to the child. Such services should be provided within the context of case planning, beginning with an assessment of the child and family situation. By assessing the need first, an appropriate set of services can be offered, such as day care provision, parenting support, household economic strengthening, or psychosocial referral.

Day care services are particularly important for caretakers who are overwhelmed as a result of ill health, cannot provide adaquate care because they need to work, or who are isolated within the community. It provides an excellent opportunity for children to socialise with others, and can offer additional protection and education.

Parenting support provides caretakers with an opportunity to talk about their difficulties, and learn additional techniques for meeting their child’s developmental and relationship needs. It can enable caretakers to cope with behavioural problems, and address abusive parenting techniques, thereby reducing the need for family separation and improving the incidence of successful family reunification.

The literature in this section contains information on family support programmes for vulnerable children, including day care and parenting support.

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Family Resilience Reflection Note #3: Household Development Plan

AVSI, 2019

This Reflection Note from the Family Resilience (FARE) project asked how, in practice, Household Development Plans were used, and what was their value in improving the relationship environment and capacities of families to reintegrate previously separated children and youth back at home and to prevent separation.

Finalizing the Deinstitutionalisation Process of the Child Protection System in Romania: Financial Impact Study

Radu Comşa, Oana Ganea, Ştefan Dărăbuş - Hope and Homes for Children, 2019

This study analyzes longitudinal statistics from 18 years of Hope and Homes for Children programs in Romania to demonstrate the cost savings and ability to support a higher number of children at risk if the state were to invest money into programs that allow children to remain in a family environment, rather than be placed in institutional care.

5 Pasos para el Desarrollo Mental Saque y Volea

Harvard Center on the Developing Child, 2019

Esta guía breve del Harvard Center on the Developing Child presenta 5 pasos para cuidadores practicar “saque y volea” con su niño/a.

Effect of CPRT with adoptive parents of preadolescents: A pilot study.

Swan, A. M., Bratton, S. C., Ceballos, P., & Laird, A. - International Journal of Play Therapy, 2019

This single group pilot study explored the effect of child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT) for adoptive parents of preadolescents who reported attachment related concerns, stress in the parent–child relationship, and child behavior problems.

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Development of atypical parental behavior during an inpatient family preservation intervention program

Anne-Fleur W. K. Vischer, Wendy J. Post, Hans Grietens, Erik J. Knorth, Elisa Bronfman - Infant Mental Health Journal, 2019

Since failed reunification is a detrimental outcome for children, particularly infants and toddlers, the aim of this study was to gain insight into support to families in multiple-problem situations in the Netherlands to help them achieve sustainable good-enough parenting.

Promising practices - strengthening families and systems to prevent and reduce the institutional care of children

Karen Flanagan - Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism, 2019

This chapter from the book Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism highlights promising practice which aims to prevent and reduce the institutionalization of children at two levels: (1) systems and social work strengthening, and (2) family strengthening and gatekeeping.

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Identifying effective interventions for promoting parent engagement and family reunification for children in out-of-home care: A series of meta-analyses

Christine Maltais, Chantal Cyr, Geneviève Parent, Katherine Pascuzzo - Child Abuse & Neglect, 19 Dec 2018

The aim of this meta-analysis is to identify the most effective interventions to promote parental engagement and family reunification in high-income countries.

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Social Support and Relationships with Family and Friends

Susan M. Love and Theresa Knott - Handbook of Parenting and Child Development Across the Lifespan , 07 Dec 2018

This chapter from the Handbook of Parenting and Child Development Across the Lifespan explores five domains of research connecting social support and parenting: (1) intergenerational transmission of parenting; (2) community and neighborhood; (3) marriage quality; (4) grandmothers; and (5) offline and online friends.

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Improving psychosocial services for vulnerable families with young children: strengthening links between health and social services in Germany

Ilona Renner, Victoria Saint, Anna Neumann, Daria Ukhova, Sabine Horstmann, Ullrich Boettinger, Martina Dreibus, Astrid Kerl-Wienecke, Pilar Wulff, Paul Mechthild, Heidrun Thaiss - BMJ, 07 Dec 2018

This article from BMJ describes cross-sectoral collaborative efforts in Germany to enhance the skills of parents to care for young children.

Parental empowerment and child behavioural problems during youth care involvement

Harm Damen, Jan W. Veerman, Ad A. Vermulst, Rozemarijn van Pagée, Rozemarijn Nieuwhoff, Ron H.J. Scholte - Child & Family Social Work, 06 Dec 2018

The aim of this study was to examine changes in parental empowerment and child behavioural problems during a period of youth care and how changes are related to the kind of services provided.

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