This evidence brief from the Evaluation Fund presents an evaluation of the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) in Colombia, a national ICDP branch that provides community-based caregiver training through locally trained ICDP facilitators. In the Chocó region of Colombia, ICDP facilitators run weekly meetings for a period of 12 weeks that are open to all caregivers and meet at the community center. The initiative is activity-based in the sense that the participants have to carry out the actions themselves – through observations, self-evaluations and reporting back.
The program was evaluated through a Randomized controlled trial (RTC). Participants were 176 parents of 3-4 year olds attending child centers. Effects were tested using univariate logistic regression to examine predictors of victimization and perpetration of intimate partner violence, use of violence to discipline children, and prevalence of mental health problems. The evaluation found that, in conflict settings, with extreme levels of poverty, unemployment, crime and violence, parent and caregiver support can play a crucial role in reducing the use of physical punishment against children, as illustrated by the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) in Colombia.
