Stakeholders call for stronger investment in parenting support to protect children, strengthen families

Held under the theme “Using evidence, media and partnerships to strengthen families and promote child wellbeing,” the workshop brought together representatives from government ministries, academia, the media, health, education, child protection, faith-based organisations and civil society to examine the findings of an independent evaluation of Parenting 101 with Isang and identify practical strategies for expanding parenting support across the state.

Discussions focused on three key areas: (i) Expanding access to parenting support through radio, community structures, schools and faith organisations; (ii) Strengthening connections between parenting programmes and child protection, health, education and social welfare services to provide more coordinated support for families; and (iii) Building sustainable partnerships, financing mechanisms and policy commitments to ensure the long-term scale-up of evidence-based parenting programmes.

The call was made during a stakeholder dissemination workshop titled “From the Airwaves to Stronger Families: Evaluating Parenting 101 with Isang and Shaping the Future of Parenting Support in Akwa Ibom State,” organised by Parenting for Lifelong Health and the Global Parenting Initiative at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, with funding from the John Fell Fund, University of Oxford.