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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Children and AIDS: Fourth Stocktaking Report

Unite for Children; Unite Against AIDS, 20 Dec 2009

Offers updates, authoritative data, evidence and recommendations on key areas including prevention of mother-to-child transmission, paediatric care and treatment, preventing infection among adolescents and young people, protection, care and support for children affected by HIV and AIDS, programme monitoring and evaluation.

U.S. Government and Partners: Working Together on a Comprehensive, Coordinated and Effective Response to Highly Vulnerable Children

USG Secretariat for Orphans and Vulnerable Children , 01 Dec 2009

Provides global estimates of the number of highly vulnerable children; a summary of United States Government (USG) assistance programs for highly vulnerable children; a summary of progress coordinating the response among USG agencies; key strategic issues and opportunities; priorities for 2009–2010 and beyond; and a summary of the results and achievements of USG assistance

Keeping Children Out of Harmful Institutions: Why we should be investing in family-based care (Russian Version)

Corinna Csaky - Save the Children UK, 24 Nov 2009

This report from Save the Children outlines recommendations to governments and donors in order to ensure that positive childcare and protection practices are pursued at every level.

ปกป้องเด็กจากภัยของการ เลี้ยงดูทดแทนในรูปแบบสถาบัน: เหตุที่เราควรลงทุนกับการเลี้ยงดูในรูปแบบครอบครัว

Corinna Csaky - Save the Children UK, 24 Nov 2009

This report from Save the Children outlines recommendations to governments and donors in order to ensure that positive childcare and protection practices are pursued at every level.

Missing: Children without Parental Care in International Development Policy

EveryChild, 19 Nov 2009

Explores the negative impacts of loss of parental care on children. Advocates for reform for children based on assertion that failure to keep children in families, out of residential institutions and off the streets, will be another barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

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