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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The First International Conference in Africa on Family Based Care: Conference Declarations and Recommendations

ANPPCAN and Conference Delegates, 29 Oct 2009

Summary of conference delegates' declarations and recommendations

Advancing Child Sensitive Social Protection

DFID, Help Age, Hope and Homes for Children, IDS, ILO, ODI, Save the Children UK, UNDP, UNICEF and World Bank., 01 Sep 2009

Joint statement among UN agencies and NGO partners to build greater consensus on the importance of child-sensitive social protection.

UNITE for Children UNITE Against AIDS

UNITE for Children UNITE Against AIDS, 01 Sep 2009

Short video illustrating the ways social protection safeguards children and their families – including those affected by AIDS – at every level from communities to entire countries and beyond.

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Family Stress: Safeguarding Young Children's Care Environment

Bernard van Leer Foundation, 01 Jun 2009

Examines the most effective ways of dealing with and diminishing parental stress, and what are the factors that contribute to children’s resilience and coping mechanisms in challenging care environments in particular contexts

Analysis of the Progress and Remaining Challenges in Child Care System Reform: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan

UNICEF, Natalia Lyalina and Anna Nordenmark Severinsson, 21 May 2009

Developed by the UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States as a discussion paper for the 2nd Child Protection Forum on Building and Reforming Child Care Systems

Local gatekeeping functions

Peter Evans, 14 May 2009

This presentation, conducted by Peter Evans at the Second Child Protection Forum in Bishkek from 12 to14 May, 2009, includes information on gatekeeping, including a definition, the components of gatekeeping, a flowchart of entry routes for children into institutions, outlines of assessments and intervention plans, monthly monitoring and information systems, and more.

Forced Removal of Romani Children from the Care of their Families

European Roma Rights Center, 08 May 2009

Explores particular vulnerabilities that arise for Roma children and families in regards to care as a result of social marginalization

Guide to Implementing Family Skills Training Programmes for Drug Abuse Prevention

UNODC, 01 Mar 2009

UNODC published Guidelines to implement family skills training programmes for drug abuse prevention in March 2009. These guidelines contain evidence of effectiveness, principles of family skills training programmes, cultural adaptation guidelines, advice on how to recruit and retain families through the programmes, practical advice on training of staff, as well as information about monitoring and evaluating family skills training programmes.

Promoting Synergies between Child Protection and Social Protection: West and Central Africa

UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa, 01 Feb 2009

Focuses on children’s vulnerabilities and risks related to an absence of protection from violence, abuse and neglect, and the ways in which measures to address such vulnerabilities and risks can be more effectively integrated into social protection policy frameworks in the West and Central Africa region.

Giving Hope: Asset Based Empowerment Methodology

Church World Service, 05 Jan 2009

This paper shares the philosophy and key components of the African development initiative Giving Hope that works with youth caregivers through an asset-based empowerment methodology. The approach facilitates the restoration of youth caregivers’ sense of self, belonging, power, and collective responsibility.