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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First Nations parenting and child reunification: Identifying strengths, barriers, and community needs within the child welfare system

Elaine Toombs, Alexandra S. Drawson, Tina Bobinski, John Dixon, Christopher J. Mushquash - Child & Family Social Work, 05 Jan 2018

A First Nations child welfare organization has prioritized further understanding of reunification and parenting, including identification of successes and barriers to reunification, and service needs within communities. These priorities were addressed with a community-based participatory research model and guided by a Research Advisory.

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Developing the social work role in the Indonesian child protection system

Patrick John O’Leary, Amy Young, Donna McAuliffe, Yanuar Wismayanti - International Social Work, 03 Jan 2018

This article outlines exploratory research in establishing a role for social work in child protection in Indonesia.

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Parental participation in child protection practice: The experiences of parents and workers in Ghana

Ebenezer Cudjoe & Alhassan Abdullah - Qualitative Social Work, 02 Jan 2018

This is the first study in Ghana to explore child protection workers and parents’ experiences on participatory practices.

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DOVCU Learning Brief 3: Examining the effects of DOVCU through a gender lens

ChildFund International, 2018

This learning brief analyzes quantitative data from both households at risk of separation and reintegrating households to understand how the “Deinstitutionalization of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project in Uganda” (DOVCU) package of integrated social and economic interventions affects children and households differently depending on the sex of the child, caregiver, and/or household head.

Opening Doors for Young Parents

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2018

This report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation reminds policymakers and child advocates in the US of the barriers that young families face. It examines national and state-level trends — highlighting areas of opportunity and concern — and then shares potential solutions that can help these families thrive.

Trauma Responsive Child Welfare Systems

Virginia Strand and Ginny Sprang, 2018

This comprehensive reference offers a robust framework for introducing and sustaining trauma-responsive services and culture in child welfare systems.

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2018 Prevention Resource Guide: Keeping Children Safe and Families Strong in Supportive Communities

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau - Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Child Welfare Information Gateway, & the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, 2018

The 2018 Prevention Resource Guide was designed to support service providers as they work with families to promote child well-being and prevent child maltreatment.

“It's our children!” Exploring intersectorial collaboration in family centres

Ingunn Skjesol Bulling & Berit Berg - Child & Family Social Work, 2018

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study based on in‐depth interviews and participant observation in 3 Norwegian family centres.

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Parent-to-Parent Tips for Visits

Rise Magazine, 2018

This video from Rise Magazine features tips from parents who have had their children placed in foster care in the U.S. to other parents in the same situation on how to handle visits with their children in the care system.

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2018 Prevention Resource Guide: Keeping Children Safe and Families Strong in Supportive Communities

Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families , 2018

This Resource Guide was developed to support service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to prevent child abuse and neglect and promote child and family well-being.