Parenting Programs to Reduce Violence Against Children and Women: Series of Briefs

"Parent and caregiver support programs are in a unique position to reduce family violence..."

This series of briefs, developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with the Prevention Collaborative and Equimundo, is designed to support parenting practitioners to integrate the prevention of violence against children and women and gender equality promotion within existing parenting programmes. The briefs distil the evidence on how these two types of violence intersect and what effective programmes look like, offering concrete guidance on how to adapt parenting programmes to integrate violence prevention and gender equality.  

As explained in the first brief, "While reducing children's exposure to violence in the family requires working with individuals and families, communities, services, and systems to change attitudes, behaviours, and norms, this series intentionally highlights parenting programmes. In many communities, parenting programmes are already reaching parents and caregivers. Evidence suggests these programmes can be strengthened to reduce violence against both children and women and to promote gender equality, in addition to improving parenting and child outcomes."

In particular, the series focuses on:
 

• The most common forms of violence against children (VAC) and violence against women (VAW): violent discipline by parents and intimate partner violence (IPV), respectively. These types of violence often co-occur in families, and there is evidence to suggest that parenting programmes can reduce them.
• Parenting programmes for parents with young children, given the benefits of intervening early and the greater availability of evidence from these programmes, with regard to reducing VAC and IPV. However, some information is applicable to programmes for parents of older children and adolescents.
• Parents in heterosexual relationships, since gendered, unequal relationship dynamics between men and women are a risk factor for IPV, and men are its primary perpetrators. While violence in non-heterosexual relationships - also driven by power and control dynamics - is outside the scope of this series, all parents and caregivers, regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation can benefit from parenting programmes designed to prevent violence and promote nurturing environments for children.

The briefs are as follows: 

Brief 1: Parenting Programs to Reduce Violence Against Children and Women: Why It Is Important [PDF, 16 pages]
This brief makes the case for why parenting programmes should seek to reduce VAC and VAW. It is organised into three parts:
 

1. Why violence prevention matters for parenting programmes
2. Evidence that parenting programmes can reduce violence in the home
3. Why parenting programmes should promote gender equality

The brief also includes recommended resources - guidance, courses, and research - to understand the intersections between VAC and VAW.

Brief 2: Parenting Programs to Reduce Violence Against Children and Women: What Gender-transformative Programs Look Like [PDF, 17 pages]
This brief unpacks what gender-transformative parenting programmes that reduce family violence typically look like. It includes the following chapters:
 

1. What gender-transformative parenting programmes to reduce family violence are
2. Their common programme principles
3. Their common delivery features and characteristics
4. Their common programme content

The brief also offers a list of recommended resources - guidance, courses, and research - to support the design of gender-transformative programmes, including how to engage men.

Brief 3: Parenting Programs to Reduce Violence Against Children and Women: How to Adapt Programs to Address Both Types of Violence [PDF, 29 pages]
This brief guides practitioners on how to integrate IPV prevention and gender equality within existing parenting programmes. It is organised around the following five stages, with key steps and checklists:
 

1. Gain organisational and stakeholder buy-in for adaptation.
2. Consult parents and understand gender and violence in your context.
3. Adapt your programme recruitment, content, and design.
4. Test and refine your adapted programme.
5. Train and adequately support facilitators to implement successfully.

The brief also provides a list of recommended resources to support all stages of adaptation.

Still forthcoming is Brief 4: Parenting Programs to Reduce Violence Against Children and Women: How to Measure Change.