drivers of parenting support, policy and provision in croatia

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Consultation on family and parenting support, UNICEF OoR Innocenti Florence, 27.-28.5.2014. Prof. N. Pećnik, University of Zagreb Drivers of parenting support policy and provision in Croatia [email protected]

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Page 1: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Consultation on family and parenting

support, UNICEF OoR Innocenti Florence,

27.-28.5.2014.

Prof. N. Pećnik, University of Zagreb

Drivers of parenting support

policy and provision

in Croatia

[email protected]

Page 2: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Why has there been an emerging interest in family

and parenting support (PS) and what are the

implications?

Presentation outline

Overview of PS in Croatia

Drivers of development of the PS

policy and provisions:

a turn in the national family policy

Council of Europe Rec (2006) on

policy to support positive

parenting

UNICEF Office for Croatia

Research on parenting and PS

Page 3: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Development of parenting support

policy and provision in Croatia

25 years long tradition in child protection, through 80 centers for social

welfare

The concept of ‘parenting support’ introduced in 2006 (paired with ‘family

support’)

For their provision Ministry of Family, etc. (2003) establishes 19

multiprofessional family centers (2008-2011), universal and targeted PS

The National Plan of Activities for the Rights of Child (2006–2012) had a

section on ‘supporting families in their educational function’ (diverse

activities, multisectorial providers) , alongside ‘protection of the abused &

neglected children’

Under the new Ministry of Social Policy and Youth, family centers became

part of the centers for social welfare (Jan. 2014)

Conference ‘Perspectives of PS programs’ by family centre for Istria (Dec.

2013)

In 2014: the new family law uses the term ‘parenting support’

Page 4: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Contextual factors, professional and state

initiatives

contributing to emerging of the parenting

support field Gradual acknowledgement of demandingness of contemporary parental

role, concern for social conditions of parenting, growing commitment to

supporting families/parents – facilitated by formulation of the National

Family Policy (2003); research on (one-parent) families, activities of NGO

‘Parents in Action’,…

Emphasis on the UN CRC implementation (violence, child participation)

Recognition of social changes that have affected parent - child

relationships and understanding of the parental role (including the ban of

corporal punishment in1999); a crisis of (authoritarian) parenting

Parenting practices became a subject of public policy - not just socially

unacceptable parenting (as prior to 2000), but also socially desirable

parenting

PS increasingly seen as a solution to the lack of services for ‘families at

risk’ and poor effectivenes of child protection interventions in preventing

institutionalization

Page 5: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

CoE Rec (2006)19 on policy to support positive

parenting & defining socialy desirable

parenting in CroatiaCoE: WP on parenting skills,

especially combating

violence…(2005)

Parenting in the UN CRC

• Provide appropriate direction and

guidance (respecting the evolving

capacities and the views of the child,

violence-free);

• Provide for full and harmonious

development

nurturing behaviour,

structure and guidance,

recognition,

enabling empowerment

Cro: WP on defining responsible

parenting, early help to families at

risk…(2010)

‘parental behaviors based on the

best interest of the child, which

include nurturing, providing

structure and guidance,

recognition of the child as a person

and which enables empowerment

of the child.’

‘Responsible parent embraces

responsibility for the child's

wellbeing and development,

responsibility for the quality of

relationship with the child and

responsibility for own wellbeing

and development as a parent’.

Page 6: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

CoE Rec(2006)19 on the policy to support positive

parenting &

setting standards for parenting support in

Croatia

In Croatian (2008)

Min. of Family

stimulated:

situation analysis

from service

providers’ view

new PS programs

Supported

comprehensive

research on:

parental beliefs,

practices , needs

for and obstacles to

PS

Daly (2007)

New views of

parenting

and parenting support

• Key massages for

parents

• Guidelines for

professionals

Core principles of PS programsfacilitated the paradigm shift from thedeficit model towards the empowermentmodel

Page 7: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Research with a nationally representative sample of 13-

year-olds (N=1074), their mothers (N=983) and fathers

(N=850)

(Pećnik & Tokić, 2011)

24.4

40.6

7.413.7

0

10

20

30

40

50

Fathers Mothers

needed PS

used PS

• 73,3% children report being hit by mothers and 66,2% by fathers

• For a correct upbringing, it is necessary to hit the child sometimes.

15% mothers agree, 19% undecided

• children’s views: Parenting schools should teach parents how to talk to

children

• Parental (unmet) needs for counseling on parenting

issues:

Page 8: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Contribution of the UNICEF Office for Croatia

to parenting support promotion, provision and

research

Since 2006 continually engaged with positive parenting and parenting

support, in the context of the ECD programme

facilitated PS-related development within the health, (preschool) education

and social sectors, as well as in the public opinion sphere

Research on

- General population beliefs about parenting of a young child (2006)

- Parental practices, attitudes and needs for support in 1400 parents of

infants,2007

Awareness-raising and fund-raising campaigns

The first three are the most important! (2007)

The first thee are even more important! (2009)

Provision of DVDs on ECD and PP, breast-feeding groups, ‘baby fitness’

groups, hotlines for parents of young children, ‘Read to me’community

Page 9: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

The first three are the most important!

Campaign by UNICEF Croatia (2007)

N.N.(3)

lack of

self-

estee

m

SENTENC

ED FOR

LIFE?

From a kiss the child

grows, from beatings

she becomes smaller.

And parents have a right

to help in child rearing.

Page 10: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Workshops with parents ‘Growing Up Together’

a nationally-recognized parenting support program

UNICEF Office for Croatia (2008-2010)

Objective of program development:

To strengthen capacity of local community professionals for supporting

positive parenting of parents of young children (1-4 years)

The program is respectful of the CoE Rec (2006)19 provisions on good

parenting and good PS

developed in participation with 36 groups of parents and professionals

through 2 pilot projects

11 weekly, 2 hours manualized workshops; follow-up in ‘Clubs of Parents’

Groups consist of 8-12 parents,

Implemented in kindergartens and family centers throughout Croatia

(>300 groups of parents), Bosnia&Herzegovina (40 groups) and

Bulgaria (50 groups)

Page 11: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Workshops with parents ‘Growing Up Together’

Aim

to support parents in understanding

and carrying out their parental

responsibilities in consistence with the

values of positive parenting in the best

interest of the child

to facilitate the exchange of

information, skills and support that

parents have found useful for promoting

growth of competence, both of parents

and children.

Approach

Page 12: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

1. Parents of the 21st century

2. The four pillars of parenting

3. Child's psychological needs and

parental goals

4. All of our children and how we love

them

5. Listening - an important parenting skill

6. How does the child learn about the

world?

7. Boundaries: why and how?

8. Choosing and creating solutions

9. Parental responsibilities and more

questions

10. Being a parent: Influences and choices

11. The ending and a new beginning

Additions: Conflicts of parents and

1. Every child is special, every

parent is special

2. Between expectations and

adjustment

3. The four pillars of parenting

4. Child's psychological needs…

5. All of our children and how we

love

6. Listening- an important

parenting…

7. How does the child learn …

8. Boundaries: why and how?

9. Parental responsibilities…

10. Being a parent: Influences and…

11. The ending and a new beginning

www.rastimozajedno.hr

2010 2014

Growing Up Together

workshops with parents of young

children

Growing Up Together Plus

workshops with parents of young

CWDisabilities

Page 13: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Outcome evaluations of ‘Growing Up Together’

Outcome evaluation within

development of ‘Growing up

together’ (Pecnik and Starc, 2010)

and ‘Growing up together Plus’

(Pecnik et al., 2014)

quasi-experimental design

Ongoing evaluation (N>1800):

pre-post intervention quantitative and

qualitative data

After the program changes in:

• perceived parental competence,

• parental violent and supportive

behaviors

• beliefs respectful of child’s

needs/rights

Perceived gains from participation,

N=1273:

Feeling more confident as a parent

Insight into own strengths and

weakneses

Change in interactions with the child

Acquiring new useful knowledge

Better understanding of the child’s

perspective/needs/reasons of

behaviors

Support for being more sensitive and

responsive to childs needs and

rights

Support for taking care of own personal

needs

Sharing experiences, dilemas and

Page 14: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Outcome evaluations of ‘Growing Up Together

Plus’

Outcome evaluation within

development of ‘Growing up

together’ (Pecnik and Starc,

2010) and ‘Growing up

together Plus’ (Pecnik et al.,

2014) Pre-post intervention

design, with comparison

groups

Ongoing evaluation (N>1800):

pre-post intervention

quantitative and qualitative

data

After the program: higher

perceived competence,

lower violence,

beliefs more in tune with

respect for childs needs and

Perceived gains (N=1273):

Feeling more confident as a parent

More insight into own strong and

weak sides in parenting

Change in interactions with the child

Acquiring new useful knowledge

Better understanding of the child’s

perspective/needs/reasons of

behaviors

Support for being more sensitive and

responsive to childs needs and

rights

Support for taking care of own

personal needs

Sharing experiences, dilemas and

problems, feeling that you are not

alone

Page 15: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Parenting in the period from 0 to 6

- Parents’ experiences, attitudes, practices- Personal wellbeing and experience of

parental role- Resources for parenting- Acessibility and use of PS services and other

community resources for young children andtheir parents

Integrates different systems (health, education, welfare)

Quota samples: 6 months, 1, 3 and 6 years(preschool) (representative of child’s gender, parents’ education, community size, region) total N=1621 (22% fathers) + boost 98 parents of childrenwith disability (n=203)

+ perspectives of low SES parents, parents ofCWD

HOW PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES CARE FOR THE

YOUNGEST CHILDREN IN CROATIA (UNICEF Office

for Croatia, 2013)

Parenting support services

=interventions for parents

aimed at promoting the

child's welfare and

development by

influencing parents'

understanding and

fulfilment of their parental

responsibilities. Address

knowledge, skills and

values.

Page 16: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Selection of findings:

Parent-child interaction

Breast-feeding drops sharply at 2-4

months

Less breastfeeding by young, low

SES mothers, by parents of CWD

Developmentaly stimulating

parents’ behaviors (playing,

reading, singing, problem-solving)

reported for last 7 days by

majority, except 10%

less frequent among low SES

parents, rural communities

Corporal

punishment/violence

5 % parents of 6-month-

olds

15 % parents of 1-year-olds

35 % parents of 3-year-olds

(3% every day)

20% parents of 6-year-olds

reported hitting that child

in the last 7 days

Among 1- and 6-year-olds,

more frequent hitting among

low SES parents, rural

communities

What is the best way to stop CP?

66% Parents should be helped with their problems so they do not take out

their dissatisfaction or exhaustion on their children.

50% Parents should be advised how to bring up children without beatings.

20% Parents need help in cutting down alcohol consumption and with

psychological difficulties.

Page 17: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Coping with parental role, balancing parenting

responsibilities with paid work, gender division of

household labour

More stressed parents engaged in less supportive

/stimulating and in more violent interactions with the child

low SES parents and parents of CWD more stressed, poorer health,

express more difficulties in coping with demands of parenting

1/3 employed fathers reported that their job responsibilities often or

always prevent fulfilling their parental role

This conflict is more often experienced by parents of low SES

2/3 of the mothers perceive themselves as taking up all or most of

the activities related to child care/activities with children.

3/4 of mothers consider they do all or most of household labour

These differences more pronounced for low SES mothers. They

also receive less unpaid or paid support for household or parenting

from outside family

Mothers experience more parental stress, fathers experience less

parental competence

Page 18: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Needed, used and desirable professionals’ support

around parenting issues

64%

38%23%

78%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

thought they needprofessional's

advice inparenting

often andsometimes

thought they needprofessional'sadvice in p.

personallyconsulted withprofessional onparenting issues

would useprofessional's

help if available

≠ low SES parents, in rural areas less frequently felt they needed professionals

advice in parenting, read less on parenting, expressed less interest in

contacting a professional

Page 19: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Resources for parenting: 3. INFORMATIONS FOR PARENTS

What would help you most in your everyday care for the child?

33%

30%

28%

24%

23%

16%

15%

11%

More available information on legal rights of parents

and children

More available information on existing services for

parents

More available texts from parenting professionals

More TV and/or radio programs on parenting

Free of charge and more frequent workshops,

‘parenting schools’

Hotline for parenting questions

More accessibly written texts of parenting

professionals

Free DVD-s with professionals’ advice

Page 20: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Which parenting-ralated information do parents need?

58%

34%

26%

21%

20%

20%

17%

16%

16%

15%

13%

13%

12%

11%

7%

How to support positive development of my child

Health

What to expect as normal child’s behavior at certain age

How to solve problems in child’s behavior

Feeding of children

How do children learn

‘PRO’ et ‘CONTRA’ for various parenting/educational practices

How to play or speak with the child

Problems between siblings, fighting, jelousy

How to help a child to become ‘school-ready’

Toilet training

Adjustment to kindergarten

How to balance parental and marital/parter relationships

Problems of child’s sleeping or crying

Postpartal depression

How to share child care with the other parent

Page 21: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Attitudes towards seeking professionals’ support around

parenting issues – a barrier to help-seeking?

• 85% parents think that seeking professional help is a sign of parental

responsibility

• 66% parents think that professionals are needed by problematic

families, while an average parent deals with parenting difficulties by

himself.

Beliefs about desirable and undesirable outcomes of help-seeking

and prejudices towards professionals

predict intention to seek help

reflect past experience with receiving help with parenting issues

≠ Low SES parents, in rural areas, have less positive attitudes to

seeking PS

Page 22: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Which parenting support services were used?

(N=1621)

%

Courses for pregnant women /future parents 20%

Individual counseling with a paediatrician even when the child is not

sick11%

Developmental gymnastics for babies (e.g.‘baby fitness’, baby

massage)5%

Joint programs (workshops etc.) for parents and children 5%

Breastfeednig support groups 4%

Individual counseling with a psychologist or pedagogue (e.g. in

kindergarten)4%

Drop-in parents’ groups 2%

UNICEF ‘Growing up together’ workshops with parents of young

children1%

Other group-based programs for parents (‘parenting schools’, lectures

etc.)1%

Support groups for parents of children with disabilities 1%

Hotline counseling 0%

Page 23: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

Research implications on

PS policy, provision and further research

Stimulated discussion about the position of PS on local and national level,

contributed to building intersectorial cooperation

Mobilized support for changes of PS-related paradigms:

towards the ‘dual focus’ on the child’s AND the parent’s wellbeing

towards viewing PS as a tool in realizing UNCRC, enhancing community

development but also as investment in human capital development

New activities to build local partnerships for improving universal and

targeted PS

Multivariate analyses of collected data underway to understand

Identified inequalities in children’s access to supportive,

stimulating and nonviolent parenting and in their parent’s

access to PS and other community resources for positive

parenting

Page 24: Drivers of parenting support, policy and  provision in Croatia

References

Daly, M. (Ed.) (2007) Parenting in contemporary Europe: A positive

approach Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publ.

Pećnik, N.( Ed.)(2013) . How Do Parents and Communities Care About

Young Children In Croatia (in Croatian) Zagreb: UNICEF Office for Croatia

(www.unicef.hr)

Pećnik, N. & Starc, B. (2010) Parenting in the Best Interest of the Child and

Supporting Parents of Young Children (in Croatian) Zagreb: UNICEF Office

for Croatia (www.unicef.hr)

Pećnik, N. i Tokić, A. (2011) Parents And Children At The Doorstep Of

Adolescence: Views From Three Angles, Challenges And Support (in

Croatian). Zagreb: MOBMS.

http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/513138.Penik_Toki_2011_RODITELJI_I_DJECA_

NA_PRAGU_ADOLESCENCIJE.pdf

Pećnik, N. & Starc, B. (2010) ‘Growing Up Together’ Workshops with

parents of young children: Manual( in Croatian) Zagreb: UNICEF Office for

Croatia.

Pećnik, N., Starc, B., Ljubešić, M., Jejić, M., Probela-Hodap, S. i Grubić,

M. (2014) ‘Growing Up Together Plus’ : Manual. Zagreb: UNICEF Office