How can governments successfully take evidence-based parenting and early childhood development (ECD) programmes to national scale?
Join the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI) for an engaging webinar exploring how parenting and ECD interventions can be integrated into existing government health, education, and social protection systems. Drawing on real-world implementation experiences, speakers will discuss the opportunities and challenges of institutionalising programmes, securing sustainable financing, strengthening the workforce, and maintaining quality while expanding coverage.
This session will highlight practical lessons from countries working to embed parenting support within government systems, offering valuable insights for policymakers, implementers, researchers, donors, and practitioners committed to improving outcomes for children and families.
Date: Friday, 7 August 2026
Time: 12:00 BST | 13:00 SAST | 14:00 EAT
Register here to attend.
We look forward to welcoming you to this important discussion!
Speakers
Aimee Vachon is a Programme Manager at The Human Safety Net (THSN), the corporate foundation of the Generali Group. She co-manages a portfolio of early childhood development grants spanning 24 countries across Europe and Asia, supporting initiatives that strengthen outcomes for young children and their families.
Before joining THSN, Aimee worked as an early childhood development technical specialist, contributing to the design and implementation of both small- and large-scale education programmes in Uganda, Bangladesh, Egypt, and other countries. She brings extensive experience in advancing evidence-based early childhood and education initiatives across diverse global contexts.
Zainal Madon is a Professor at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the Principal Investigator of the Naungan Kasih Positive Parenting Programme, an evidence-based early childhood parenting intervention developed in partnership with the Department of Community Development (KEMAS) under Malaysia’s Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.
The programme is currently being scaled nationally through the KEMAS early childhood education system using a government-led facilitator training model. This approach provides a practical example of how evidence-based parenting support can be sustainably embedded within government systems to reach families at scale.
Alison Naftalin founded Lively Minds in 2008 following a trip to Ghana where she saw the complex challenges facing rural communities and huge opportunities for change. She spent several years living in Ghana and Uganda, working with mothers and children in rural communities to design, test and optimise the programme, and then later to work out how to scale it.
Alison previously worked as a lawyer in central government, working in the Treasury Solicitor’s Department, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Defence.
MODERATOR | Isang Awah is a passionate advocate for evidence-based, playful parenting programmes, working to enhance child well-being worldwide. As Head of Advocacy at the Global Parenting Initiative, based at the University of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention, she collaborates with national governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and faith-based organizations to drive the adoption of Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) programmes.
With a strong commitment to empowering national research teams, Dr. Awah supports their leadership in advocacy efforts, ensuring that effective parenting interventions are implemented globally.
More speaker information coming soon!