Collaboration with communities – a message that reverberated throughout discussions during the GPI’s pre-conference workshop on reducing violence against children through parenting programmes in times of crisis. On 18 August the GPI, together with Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH), Spring Impact, and multiple universities, hosted a workshop at the 2024 International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) conference.
The workshop was hosted by Pragathi Tummala, ISPCAN CEO, and co-chaired by GPI’s Genevieve Haupt-Ronnie and Sarah Thakur as well as Uppsala University’s Professor Anton Dahlberg at the Uppsala Konsert & Kongress. The program kicked off with Professor Jamie Lachman setting the scene with a brief look at the current environment and research on children and caregivers experiencing crises.
Moving the focus to sustainable scaling of interventions, Tim Frisby from Spring Impact shared different implementation models and how his organisation supports and guides those looking to test or implement interventions to sustainable scale-up.
Faith Dziruni from PLH (presented via pre-recorded video), Professor Sobia Masood from Quaid-i-Azam University, and Fatumo A Osman from Dalarna University (presented via pre-recorded video) presented evidence on implementing parenting interventions in crisis settings in countries such as Ukraine and Pakistan and to displaced parents in Sweden.
The workshop then moved on to a series of discussions led by questions from the audience.
Maryam Ehsani, founder and CEO of Child Safe ME, attended the session and perfectly summarised the takeaway points:
“Reducing violence against children through parenting programs during times of crisis presents significant challenges. It was great listening to fantastic speakers discussing how implementing parenting programs in these contexts requires a multi-faceted approach.
– It’s essential to consider the immediate needs of families, such as food, shelter, and mental health support, as these are prerequisites for parents to engage effectively in any program.
– Programs must be adaptable, culturally sensitive, and accessible, recognising that traditional delivery methods might not be feasible during crises.
– Collaboration with local communities, humanitarian organisations, and governments is crucial to ensure the programs are integrated into broader crisis response efforts and reach those most in need.
In summary, reducing violence against children through parenting programs in crisis times demands a comprehensive, flexible, and context-sensitive approach, addressing both the immediate and long-term needs of families and care givers.”
Dr Isang Awah, GPI’s advocacy lead, closed the session with a presentation of the recently developed PLH Toolkit on Crisis Parenting Rapid Response. This evidence-based toolkit contains program content, adaptation, and implementation guidance as well as tools for monitoring and evaluation.
