ROLES OF STAKE HOLDERS IN PARENTING

Stakeholders in a process are actors/ persons or organisations with a stake in the policy being

promoted.

A stakeholder refers to groups / individuals that are affected and have an interest in a particular issue

that they are involved directly or indirectly.

These stakeholders or interested parties can be grouped in various categories, international donors,

national political (legislators, governors) public (ministry of health), social security agency, media

associations and Nongovernmental Organisations

DEFINITION OF PARENTING AND 4 PARNTING STYLES

Parenting / child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, social, economical and spiritual wellbeing of a child.

According to psychologist Diana Baumrind's research, she found that there are four types of parenting styles namely;

Authoritative: democratic style of parenting, parents are attentive, forgiving, teach their offspring proper behaviour, have a set of rules, and if child fails to follow their is punishment, if followed their is reward/reinforcement

Authoritarian: strict parenting style, involves high expectations from parents but have little communication between child and parents. Parents don't provide logical reasoning for rules and limits, and are prone to harsh punishments

Permissive: parents take on the role of "friends" rather than parents, do not have any expectations of child, they allow the child to make their own decisions

Uninvolved: parents neglect their children by putting their own life before the children. They do provide for the child's basic needs but they show little interaction with the child

ROLES OF PARENTS/FAMILIES/CAREGIVERS/FOSTER HOMES IN CHILD UP BRINGING

Parents should reward the positive behaviours of their children and limit opportunities for negative

behaviours. For example, if a child who has a history of impulsive behaviour, as a responsible parent,

you do not let her go to an unsupervised party but rather have a gathering at home instead where she

will be supervised.

Parents who spend quality time together with their children will not only built trust but also strengthen

their relationship with their children. It also encourages the creation of relationships with other adults,

for example when children are given the resources needed, it may enable them enter adulthood well

prepared.

Parents should also show children that they are valued at home by giving them increasing levels of

responsibility that will enable them to further engage themselves in service in their communities,

neighbourhood, school, or somewhere else.

CONTINUATION

There is need for parents/caregivers to build good communication practices so that they can ensure that their families remain strong even when things get tough. Much as children have different ideas, different solutions and different ways to approach problems, good communication between the parents and children and children to children helps to resolve conflicts in a home peacefully as a key skill that will enable them to succeed. As children grow up, it is important that they learn how to communicate and resolve conflicts peacefully.

Parents also ought to teach positive values that help them point the way to think and act appropriately. For example, such positive values will enable the children to be developmental, caring, honest, responsible, and restraint from negative attitudes.

  Parents should use friendly discipline methods. This should be applied to coach responsibility and

self-control. For example, saying discipline instils obedience hence rewards the child for good behaviour and discourages bad behaviour and with proper and regular discipline, a child will learn about consequences and taking responsibility for his or her own actions.

 

CONTINUATION

Parents should create a sense of belonging by telling the children more about their communities, and engaging them in various activities of their communities so that they can work together with the members there by building trust and developing a sense of belonging and be able to contribute to the development of the community.

  Parents should encourage their children to carry out domestic responsibilities for skilful

development and self-reliance for example washing utensils, clothes and cooking among others as this will enable them be responsible citizens who will contribute to the development of the community.

  The parents should be role models to their children in that they should be exemplary to their

children such as dressing up appropriately, resolving conflicts amicably so that the children can borrow a leaf from them.

  Parents should provide their children with basic and psychological needs like love, shelter,

protection, education so that the children grow up as loving, caring and useful citizens

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

Religious institutions should support public policies that best suit the interests of the

children.

Religious institutions should uphold principles of parenting and support it by working

together with the ministries to ensure good behaviour is instilled in every child.

Religious institution should help by strengthening families by conducting counselling to

families having difficulties to bring about proper up bring of the child and also settling cases

peacefully.

ROLES ANSD RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SCHOOL IN CHILD UPBRINGING

Teachers should administer friendly discipline to children to coach responsibility, self-control.for example, discipline

instils obedience hence rewards the child for good behaviour and discourages bad behaviour for example where proper

and regular discipline, is given to a child, he will learn about consequences and taking responsibility for their own

actions.

Teachers should prepare, plan, deliver and assess the curriculum in line with the requirements of the National

Curriculum and the school, to ensure the safety of their students.

Teachers should also endeavour to promote the emotional security of the children/pupils to ensure that in case of abuse

to the pupils it is, reported to the appropriate member of staff, to deal with misbehaviour in ways that are within the

school discipline policy,

Teachers should communicate well with the Children and other stakeholders involved in the parenting, as this will

help them understand the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and work out the most effective ways of supporting the

child. 

CONTINUATION

Teachers also need to ensure that children are protected and awarded their rights and adequately

provided with the necessities such as food, decent accommodation, separate washrooms for girls

and that of boys.

GOVERNMENT

The government should introduce legislation to strengthen and make more explicit the responsibilities related to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children within schools and in various institutions where children are brought up,

Government should provide funds to institutions so that more research is carried out to ensure that proper parenting guidelines are developed and provided to the various stakeholders these could be in all aspects of education (curriculum, health & safety, employment guidelines, standards of professional behaviour among others).

Government should also support vulnerable families with some income generating activities such as livestock so that the children are provided with the basic needs hence their survival rather than being dumped in toilets and by the roadsides among others by their caregivers due to lack of income to provide for their basic needs.

The government should also ensure that the police and prisons have separate rooms where children below 18 years of age are kept so that their rights are not abused by the older men and women in prisons and during detention in police cells

CONTINUATION

Government should ensure that the agencies who are party to the protection plan coordinate their

activities to protect the children.

Government should ensure that the governing bodies must review all policies, procedures and

duties in respect of child protection issues annually.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMUNITIES

The leaders urged the communities to maintain a strong focus on child security as far as behaviour is

concerned and admitter punishment to offenders such as child defilers among others where possible

Communities should also help in parenting by supporting and working together with the various

institutions involved in parenting for example through helping in providing information on

particular issues when called upon by various stakeholders such as government/police/judiciary

among others.

Our community has a lead and greater role to play in bringing up children outside formal education

as this will help instil good morals to the children.

The community should also help protect children against negative cultural practices in the society

such as forced early marriages, child sacrifice, among others to enable children grow up as loving

and caring citizens. I speak on context of behavioural change

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MEDIA

The media should further look for the existing research about parenting in order to provide

relevant information and support to parents and other stakeholders involved in parenting about

child rearing, from books and magazines to television and the internet.

The media should educate, advice, counsel, condemn immoral acts such as child labour, child

sacrifice among others, and where necessary expose the culprits in public so that they don’t repeat

the same acts hence, supporting the current and future efforts on behalf of children, parents, and

families.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL/ GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS.

Non-governmental/government organisations should assess, plan and provide support to children

in need, including those suffering or likely to suffer significant harm

Non-governmental/government organisations should be in position to address social needs and

improve the human/ children condition

Non-governmental/government organisations should fully rehabilitate, advocate, sensitise and

empower children/ women among others on their rights and responsibilities especially those in

remote areas/ deep in the villages where their rights are violated due to ignorance.

In conclusion therefore, for proper child upbringing, the authoritative parenting style would be the

best and most appropriate for Uganda as a country if we are to bring up children with proper

manners unlike the other parenting styles such as authoritarian, un involved parenting to mention

but a few.

THANK YOU

Complied by,

Atukunda Sheilla. (tinkasheilla@yahoo.co.uk)

Oder David. (oder.david7@gmail.com)

Center for Disability and Rehabilitation - Uganda