Gaps in quality and enforcement The existence of these laws is only a first
2.5.4 Parent and caregiver support Mothers, fathers and caregivers have
2.5.4 Parent and caregiver support
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II. PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN:
A SNAPSHOT OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND LESSONS LEARNED IN THE AMERICAS
Regional Status Report 2020: Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children in the Americas
Box 14. The Metamorphosis Program by Restore Belize
This program targets adolescent boys aged 11–14 in Belize city and their parents.1 The program includes a combination of counselling sessions, peacebuilding retreats and extracurricular activities targeting at-risk children as well as family visits, parenting classes and other support for parents. The program has specifically targeted single mothers from low socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom had been adolescent mothers. An evaluation of the pilot between 2012 and 2014 found an overall positive impact, including improvements in behaviors, school engagement and social support for children as well as in parenting practices and family relationships.2
Source:
1 Restore Belize. Metamorphosis Programme. Belize City: Restore Belize; 2020 [cited 1 Oct 2020]. Available from: http://restorebelize.gov.bz/programmes/
metamorphosis-project
2 Catzim-Sanchez A. Metamorphosis programme: building resiliency in high-risk male children. Evaluation report [Internet]. Belize City: Restore Belize; 2014 [cited 1 Oct 2020]. Available from: http://restorebelize.gov.bz/resources/document-library/category/7-rb-core-documents
Box 13. The Nurse-Family Partnership in the United States of the America
This program is a well-known example of supporting parents and caregivers, which involves a series of home visits from nurses to low-income families from before birth to age 2 of the child. It aims to improve child-parent interactions in combination with broader health issues. Numerous evaluations have taken place since the program’s initiation in the 1990s, highlighting its positive impact.1 For example, estimates by Thomas et al. suggest that the program decreases child maltreatment by 31%, youth arrests by nearly 45%, and intimate partner violence by 16%.2
Source:
1 Nurse-Family Partnership. Fact sheet: Research trials and outcomes [Internet]. Denver: Nurse-Family Partnership; 2020 [cited 1 Oct 2020]. Available from: https://
www.nursefamilypartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NFP-Research-Trials-and-Outcomes-1.pdf
2 Miller TR. Projected outcomes of Nurse-Family Partnership home visitation during 1996-2013, USA. Prev Sci. 2015 Aug;16(6):765–77. doi:10.1007/s11121-015-0572-9.
Box 15. Parent and caregiver support in Colombia
The International Child Development Programme (ICDP) is a community-based, psychosocial program targeting parents and caregivers of pre-school children.1,2 It involves a series of weekly group sessions, run by ICPD facilitators, at a local center, combined with home practice and reporting back. The model has been implemented in various countries and settings, including in Chocó, Colombia.3 An evaluation of the Colombian program found that physical violence against children decreased significantly.3 There was also a reduction of intimate partner violence and improvements in parent mental health. For very severe forms of violence, an adaptation of the model with a specific violence prevention curriculum was shown as more effective than standard ICPD. The adaptation of the model to Chocó shows that violence against children can be prevented, including in post-conflict, low-income settings with high rates of both community and family violence.4
Sources:
1 Sherr L, Solheim Skar A, Clucas C, von Tetzchner S, Hundeide K. Evaluation of the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) as a community-wide parenting programme. Eur J Dev Psychol. 2014 Jan;11(1):1–17. doi:10.1080/17405629.2013.793597.
2 Solheim Skar A, von Tetzchner S, Clucas C, Sherr L. The long-term effectiveness of the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) implemented as a community-wide parenting programme. Eur J Dev Psychol. 2015 Jan;12(1):54–68. doi:10.1080/17405629.2014.950219.
3 Solheim Skar A, Sherr L, Macedo A, von Tetzchner S, Fostervold KI. Evaluation of parenting interventions to prevent violence against children in Colombia: a randomized controlled trial. J Interpers Violence. 2017 Nov 1;886260517736881. doi:10.1177/0886260517736881.
4 World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, UnitedNations Children’s Fund, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. Global status report on preventing violence against children [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2020 [cited 1 Oct 2020]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240004191
There were substantial differences across subregions: for example, among Non-Latin Caribbean countries, only 30% reported home visits and 50%
center-based interventions. Given the comparatively high rates of corporal punishment in the Non-Latin Caribbean, there is a need for stronger engagement of parents and caregivers as key partners in the prevention of violence against children.
Reach remains a major challenge (see Figure 23). While many countries
in the Region reported having national-level approaches involving home visits and center-based interventions at the national level (52% and 68%, respectively), only 26% and 16% of countries, respectively, considered that they reached all or nearly all those who needed them. For example, no country in North America and only 10%–11% of countries in the Non-Latin Caribbean and in South American reported having center-based interventions to reach all or nearly all in need.
Figure 22. Number of countries with national or subnational mechanisms to support local-level implementation of parent and caregiver support
25
20
15
10
5
0
16
3
12
Home visits
21
1
9
Center-based interventions
Number of countries
Yes, national Subnational Neither Note: Number of reporting countries is 31 for the Region of the Americas.
Figure 23. Percentage of countries where national-level support for parents and caregivers is considered adequate to reach all or nearly all in need, by subregion
33
44
10
22 0
33
10 11
100 80 60 40 20 0
North America Central America Non-Latin Caribbean South America
Percentage
Home Visits Center-based interventions Note: Number of reporting countries is 31 for the Region of the Americas.
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II. PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN:
A SNAPSHOT OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND LESSONS LEARNED IN THE AMERICAS
Regional Status Report 2020: Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children in the Americas
Highlight 3.
#HealthyAtHome: Healthy parenting during COVID-19
COVID-19 has led to unprecedented changes in the lives of children, parents and caregivers, families and communities. Families may be navigating public health measures consisting of physical distancing, remote working and school closures, and they may face new barriers in access to childcare. Children may feel more isolated, anxious, uncertain or bored. Stress, fear, worry and grief may increase the risk of familial conflict. To support parents and their children during these times, partners from Parenting for Lifelong Health, in colaboration with WHO, UNICEF, UNODC, End Violence, USAID, CDC and others, developed a set of parenting resources and tips for parents1, including:
• Talk to your child about COVID-19. Be honest. It is okay not to know all the answers. Allow your child to talk about how they are feeling and let them know you are there for them.
• Create a new daily routine for you and your children. Give them simple jobs. Include physical activity, and teach them about hand washing, hygiene and safe distances.
• Set aside time to spend with each child. Listen to them, ask them for suggestions and have fun together!
• Stay positive. Communicate the behavior you want to see, and praise your child when behaving well.
• Catch bad behavior early and redirect your child’s attention before it starts. Use and follow through with consequences.
• Be kind to everyone in the family, share the workload at home, and model the behavior you would like to see in your children.
• Keep calm and manage stress. When things get tough, give yourself a brief pause and try again. Take care of yourself.
Note: For more information, see: www.covid19parenting.com/#/home Source:
1 Parenting for Lifelong Health [Internet]; 2020 [cited 1 Oct 2020]. Available from: http://www.covid19parenting.com