Category: News

The Ark and Mark Trust https://www.arkandmark.org/, has been developing ICDP since 2017, sponsored by the RVTS WEST Norway (a centre on violence, traumatic stress and suicide prevention).

In 2020, a group of facilitators started to receive training at Trainer level. The first workshop at Trainer level was conducted over four days from 10 – 13 March 2020, at the Staywell Hotel in Mogoditshane. It was attended by 12 participants, 6 were from the Ark and Mark Trust and 6 from the Thamaga community. The training was conducted by Patrick O’Loughlin and Chiku Mkalu.

The participant trainee trainers planned to carry out their practical ICDP tasks in Ramotswa, a village about 40kms from Gaborone, where they were supposed to start forming new facilitators. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were unable to embark on their projects. After consultation with the local Social Welfare & Community Development office in Ramotswa, it was decided to continue with the ICDP training in 2021.

“A mini research was conducted in 2020 to get feedback on the status of the village during the challenging times. It transpired that family relations were being challenged due to the imposed quarantines, and as a result of not knowing how to accommodate each other in their confined spaces – something ICDP propels beautifully and effortlessly. One of the police officers talked about the rise in child related cases in 2020, saying that he wished for ICDP to resume soon, because they had begun to appreciate a decline in such cases during the years ICDP was implemented”. – Tshepiso Sekopo, therapy and training coordinator.

Activities in 2021, up until June:

Training of trainers: The first virtual meeting with Patrick and Chiku took place on the 19th of May 2021 and it was a preparatory meeting for trainee trainers, who will be training 50 facilitators (40 from Ramotswa and 10 from Thamaga).

THAMAGA: The Implementation of ICDP in Thamaga was resumed in April 2021, with the support of the village leadership and the Social Welfare office.   Ark and Mark Trust mobilized 26 facilitators. The challenge was that some of the facilitators relocated for various reasons and others, especially teachers from secondary schools are not available as they are fully engaged at schools due to COVID-19.  The 26 facilitators have managed to reach out to 110 caregivers and 364 children.

GABORONE: Ark and Mark Trust have initiated the implementation of ICDP at one of Botswana Defence Force (BDF) camps. These camps are a community within the greater community of Gaborone and face unique difficulties because members of the force often leave their families for long periods of time – as a result of which, the army families face significant challenges. The ICDP programme was introduced as a possible solution. The reception by the Social Welfare office has been very positive. They see ICDP as a programme that can add value to the families and children at BDF. The participants are happy with the ICDP course and are always ready to do their home tasks and bring their feedback to the next ICDP session. There are noted improvement in their homes regarding their family interaction. The biggest challenge is with regard the time schedules to run the parent groups due to the imposed quarantines. This contributes to a delay in the completion of the programme as the facilitators are often having to reschedule the ICDP sessions. Four ICDP facilitators are running sessions at BDF for 24 participants, at a ratio of 1:6 due to the pandemic. The Ark and Mark Trust provided voice recorders to facilitators to enable them to capture the content of sessions for entry into their log books – this was necessary because only one facilitator is running ICDP sessions, whereas usually they work in pairs. 

In 2003, the first Centre of Early Intervention (CEI) Services Voinicel https://voinicel.md/ was founded in Chisinau, Moldova, with the help of the Norwegian non-governmental organisation Ahead-Moldova. The need for family-based intervention was identified in order to address the high rate of abandoned children with disabilities in four orphanages, resulting from a lack of services for families with children at risk of developmental disorders, as well as those with identified disabilities. ICDP started to develop in 2012 and the programme has been used on an ongoing basis since then by Marina Kalak (pediatrician), Ala Bendrerchi (speach therapist) and Mariana Jalba (child neurologist) established ICDP through their own work with the parents and children at the Centre. Sylvia Briabin (psychologist) moved in 2018 to Romania.

“In March 2020 we started to train a new group of facilitators from different districts. There were 15 participants from the beginning and 12 finished the ICDP course. We had to reorganize the mode of training to do it in an online format. It was quite challenging but we did it! Furthermore, we succeeded to do it interactively and to make it “lively. One of the adaptations included extending the second module to make sure all the participants internalized the ICDP ideas. Due to pandemic not all participants had possibility to organize meetings with group of parents, however, they managed to perform the necessary number of meetings, either in group or individually. As a result, we now have 12  new ICDP facilitators in different districts and most of them work with less able children. 

We continue to implement ICDP at Voinicel Center as well. This programme became extremely important in these very difficult times. We hope to extend our training activities to Transnistria region next year, provided our project application is successful. Despite the pandemic and its many challenges, we had a new great experience in implementing ICDP in Moldova”. – Marina Jalba.

ICDP Mozambique continues to participate in the Child Grant project. This project is run by  the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action (MGCAS) with support from UNICEF and technical assistance of ICDP.

The Child Grant (0-2 years) is an unconditional cash transfer programme targeting children living in poor or vulnerable households with the objective of reducing poverty, improving child wellbeing and promoting access to social services. The care component of the Child Grant 0-2 is comprised by nutrition and case management.

The case management or Acompanhamento Familiar consists of the support provided to families affected by situations of specific risk and/or to those who are classified as most vulnerable. Regular home visits are conducted by case workers to offer direct support to primary caregivers, their children and other members of the households (e.g, psychosocial and counselling or information for parents) as well as to facilitate referrals to community and statutory services. A beneficiary family is followed for a period of 6 months of intervention and 3 additional months to check on the sustainability of the results achieved.

To implement the afore-mentioned case management component, UNICEF , in consultation with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action (MGCAS), identified a need for technical assistance and on-the-job coaching of government technical staff and volunteers at Provincial and District level of MGCAS, with the ultimate aim of leaving a cadre of social welfare officers able to provide quality case management support to vulnerable families and children and those at risk, within the context of the child grant (0-2 years). In view of the above, UNICEF invited ICDP Mozambique to provide technical and coaching support, following extensive hands-on experience in Mozambique in psychosocial support and, more recently, (child protection) case management. The support  by ICDP focuses on providing:

i) support to the development and adaptation of case management tools, job aids, training packages and materials for relevant case management actors and programme stakeholders;

 ii) on-the-job coaching of relevant staff;

 iii) support to staff who supervise and monitor the work of others and to provide quality case management for child protection cases.

When managing each case, an optional and participatory methodology, in which individual knowledge and experiences are valued, is adopted. The process includes identifying risks and constraints and support selected beneficiaries to overcome them. It involves referring beneficiaries to services that they would not have access to without proper support. Each intervention plan is designed in working sessions with the families and jointly agreed upon in order to result in an individualized follow-up at the family home. Home visits take place weekly for a maximum of 9 months of intervention.

Throughout the various phases of intervention, case managers are monitored with regard to data collection tools.

Knowledge and capacity of staff at District level is improving, as well of the district services quality of interventions. The government organizations have improved control of the cases, responses, referral pathway and statistics. Results could be used as an advocacy tool to get more resources in order to extend at national level.

Community and District level services connection: Case management has supported the interlinkages between communities and social services. The community is now aware of the existence of an official service that they can reach out for help and social services understand better the needs of the families.

Cash & Care: Early serious nutrition problems were detected and referred to the adequate service. A significant number of baby deaths was identified, and the tools were improved to get a more accurate verbal autopsy. Additional supports, like grants for families with multiple needs (disabilities, child headed households) have been provided.

News from Zenona Gread, coordinator from Save the Children’s office in Ormoc city, Philippines:

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 8 launched its month-long 70th regional anniversary celebration, on the 9th of March 2021.

During these celebrations, the DSWD Field Office 8 recognized and awarded Save the Children Philippines as an exemplary partner for providing support and technical assistance toward the realization of the agency’s mandate. Save the Children key contribution to DSWD in the region is the ICDP (International Child Development Programme) Parenting package, which aims at improving parent-child relationship and interaction. ICDP is the core implementing approach to influence child sensitivity and to improve delivery of the agency’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Programme (4Ps).

(Pantawid Pamilyag programme is a core pillar of the national government’s social protection strategy and it seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty through improved health, nutrition, and education of children.)

The ICDP Nepal report 2020 includes a number of stories about the impact of ICDP – read below some of the stories:

Dipak Neupane, ICDP Facilitator and psychologist from the KOSHISH organization:

“As an ICDP facilitator, I was able to change my own perception towards a child and my way of interacting personally and professionally. The knowledge, skill and practice from ICDP training has given me more confidence to be a better caregiver and parent in the days to come. I understand ICDP as a simple and effective intervention that builds competence of caregivers in providing psychosocial care. It enhances children’s psychosocial development and wellbeing through emotional bonding, trust and better interaction between the child and the caregiver. Its impact on myself and the caregivers was commendable.

It was a great learning opportunity for me to work with children’s caregivers to help them create a loving, caring and guiding environment for their children. The caregivers got a chance to reflect on their own childhood experience and current caregiving practices which helped them to realize that caregiving practice could be improved.

Being a mental health professional, I used to believe that only experts can provide guidance on better parenting. After taking ICDP, I realized that empowering the child’s parents or other caregivers through training, orientation and supervision is the best way to ensure proper care and overall wellbeing of a child.

The KOSHISH organization works in the field of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. In the community mental health program, I deal with emotional and psychosocial needs of children whose parents are suffering from mental and psychosocial problems. Sensitization of parents and caregivers whose family members are suffering from psychosocial issues was always challenging for me. Now, by incorporating ICDP techniques in the psychosocial counselling process with child, family and relationship counselling has proved to be very effective. This technique is also helpful and effective in the KOSHISH school mental health programs in which I closely work with teachers, parents and students. As a facilitator, I find it important to encourage and promote locally appropriate practice of caregiving as well as respect for cultural beliefs of the community regarding the care of children.

Caregivers said that their communication patterns with their children have changed, as follows:

They provide more explanations and include the child in conversations. They have become better listeners. Many mentioned that they see their child as a human being of value now, they are aware of its needs beyond purely physiological needs. They mentioned how they spend more quality time with their children now. The conversations in the caregiver meetings and the progression of attitude from the first meeting to the last one, also indicate actual changed practice. Likewise, many shared how they realized the importance of parents as primary caregivers and said that the ICDP program made them sensitive towards spending quality time with their children and aided them in understanding the child deeply – whereas they used to leave the child in the hands of secondary caregivers, hardly developing any attachment to their children. Quite a few said they used to spank their children when they misbehaved but ICDP helped them to regulate positively and protect the child from negative behaviours and activities. “

Statements from three caregivers from SOS Village Nepal who received ICDP training:

“My two youngest children under my care, daughter (8 years) and son (9 years) used to talk to me only when necessary. However, they were seen casually talking with their SOS siblings. I used to feel that I missed out. I even asked them whether they were afraid of me; they replied ‘no’. I wanted them to come and chat with me as they did with their SOS siblings. Gradually, after ICDP, I started to participate more in their activities and to talk about the happenings around, as well as to listen to their stories attentively and with interest –  as a result and to my surprise, they started to come to me voluntarily to chat, to share their stories. I am now happy that my children and I are very close and I feel ICDP helped me to connect with my children. Thank you ICDP. “

“I saw a roughly folded blanket and then pointing at that blanket, I asked who accomplished that. When my 10 years old son Ravi (name changed) said he did that, I remembered ICDP and praised his effort. Next day, Ravi in a joyful manner pulled my hand towards his room, to show me his bedroom. I asked him who tidied up the bedroom so early, and I was surprised when he said that he folded not only his blanket but also his brothers’ blankets. He sounded very happy and motivate after my acknowledgement.”

“My youngest sons (in grade 1,2, 3,4) insisted to keep chicken as pets. I explained the organizational structure and rules of the SOS Village. They, especially the youngest one, kept on insisting that we should keep chicken. Then one day, I explained the consequences of bringing chicken and together we set limits (mother will not feed the chicken and will not clean if chicken make dirt around; and if they don’t look after the chicken properly she would return the chicken back). It is so amazing to see all my sons doing their duty diligently. They are enjoying it so much and they themselves set the routines, taking turns to clean and feed. I really feel ICDP has a magical concept.”

Click here to read the ICDP Nepal report 2020.

On the 14th of April 2021, the ICDP foundation issued a Facilitator diploma to Dahliani Anne Drejza. Dahliani lives in Oslo but she carried out in her native French both her practical project with families and her written report about it.

“Dahliani is trained as a Montessori teacher; she is naturally empathic and warm towards children, as well as with adults. Over the years she has shown interest in the ICDP programme and has been following closely the gradual ICDP developments worldwide. Some of our ICDP board members and founders had the pleasure of enjoying delicious cakes she prepared for us each time we had a meeting in Oslo. Due to her busy life with little free time, her intention to become involved in ICDP remained unfulfilled until recently. I am very glad that she has recently become an ICDP facilitator. We don’t have many facilitators who can deliver ICDP in French. I enjoyed working with Dhaliani in person before the pandemic, when she participated in the training I conducted in England. During my recent online meeting with her, we discussed her ICDP work with parents. She will be an asset for ICDP, thanks to her background experience, sensitivity and ability to communicate it to others. ” – Nicoletta Armstrong, ICDP chair and trainer.

ICDP activities are conducted on an ongoing basis in Ukraine nationwide and there are facilitators in several cities, Kharkov, Kieve, Odessa, Vinnitsa, Zaporozhye, Kramatorsk, Severodonetsk and Chernigov – and each city has a coordinator who informs the ICDP Ukraine organization about specific details regarding local ICDP activities.

Due to the corona virus pandemic in 2020, Sergey Krasin and Anna Trukhan, both ICDP trainers, were unable to travel around the country to conduct ICDP training and supervision in person, as they would normally do. Instead, they carried out the ICDP work through internet platforms. They managed to meet in person only some of the ICDP participants in Kharkov, the city in which they live.

In the spring, Sergey and Anna conducted a two-day online network conference as a special event for ICDP facilitators. During this event they conducted 3 master class workshops. Participants found sharing of experiences particularly useful.

During 2020, some facilitators had problems adapting to online work, which they found tiring and for which they lacked tools, so they asked for assistance. In response Sergey and Anna went on supporting the work of facilitators through virtual means throughout 2020. One of the questions that arose was finding a solution to how to do role plays, since these were not possible to conduct in person. Facilitators are now using the Zoom personal room for three people to carry out some practical tasks.  For the purpose of virtual training some new materials and tools were created by trainers and these were shared with the network of facilitators.

In the Lugansk region parents live in very stressful conditions, especially those living along the border who tend to suffer from permanent emotional anxiety. In order to help these families two facilitators (who happen to be husband and wife) joined a Polish social organization that runs its interventions in the Lugansk area through a mobile team. By taking part in the mobile unit the couple managed to deliver ICDP to families that otherwise would have been impossible to reach.

In addition to parents, preschool and school teachers were also trained in different parts of the country.

In 2021, the government restrictions were changed and the new regulation allows meetings of up to twenty people, which opened up the scope of ICDP training.

Fifteen new facilitators were certified on 1^st of March 2021. The newly trained facilitators work with vulnerable parents who were raised in orphanages. Most of these parents have several children, but they tend to find parenting very difficult. ICDP provides them with the kind of support they require and has strengthened their confidence enhancing their parenting skills.

Sergey and Anna adapted the format and delivery of the ICDP programme in line with the new educational policy in Ukraine. They are continuing to work on their PhD dissertation trying to prove that teachers could greatly benefit from becoming facilitators – this is conceptualized as a new approach to teaching, which they hope will be approved by the Ukrainian government at some point.

ICDP Ukraine operates under a local membership organization that was formed before Sergey and Anna (who are both psychologists) were trained in ICDP.  Their organization has 93 members who are based in 26 cities of Ukraine, and of which 43 members now hold ICDP diplomas. Membership includes psychologists, teachers, doctors, and other professionals from schools, preschools, universities and NGOs. Member fees help run ICDP Ukraine.  Members provide support through information sharing and networking. Through the network members exchange experiences on topics from different areas of work and help organize ICDP groups through their local contacts. On the other hand, Sergey and Anna’s organization is a member of a bigger network of psychologists, that consists of 15 organizations – and that is another area of networking for ICDP Ukraine.

The above was based on the verbal report via Zoom by Sergey Krasin and Anna Trukhan, ICDP Ukraine leaders, to Nicoletta Armstrong, ICDP chair.

Aura Estella Mendoza is the ICDP representative at the INPRHU organization in Ocotal, Nicaragua. She explained how COVID-19 had affected their work in 2020.

The ICDP team at INPRHU had to change their working hours and were forced to reduce their coverage, as a result of which they attend less adults and children in their projects then originally planned. At some point they were not allowed to meet in person, so they used the radio to communicate the content of the ICDP messages. However, the good news is that by mid March 2021 all went back to normal. 

During 2021, they will be organizing new ICDP workshops in order to train in ICDP some of their new staff, particularly since two of their ICDP trainers left the organization in 2020.

INPRHU has institutionalized ICDP in their programmes called: comunicación social (social communication), intervención familiar (family intervention) and also in their work with teachers. This means that they apply the programme with families, teachers and directly with children. All ICDP work is documented.

In 2020, they visited families whenever that was allowed by government policies related to the pandemic and the facilitators held ICDP meetings not only with mothers, but with the whole family.  This is a policy which they established in order to help families in general and in particular those families that are often plagued with problems related to violence. According to Aura, the ICDP roll out produced good results and it proved to be effective in the family circle; ICDP was accepted by mothers and fathers.

The INPRHU is a big organization that is present in different parts of the country. It is 64 years old, although it was only registered in the 1980s due to political reasons (a government change facilitated the registration). The founder was a professional in Managua, who became Minister in 1980s and began working on many social projects all over the country. He died twenty years ago but the organization is still continuing. It has long established donors that have been contributing regularly for 10, 15 and even 20 years. The founder’s hope was that INPRHU would reach 100 years – which is still their hope. There is an INPRHU national centre in Managua, and Aura attends their board meetings where future plans and policies are discussed. Funding comes from abroad, as well as inside the country.

From 2018 a new law was introduced in Nicaragua requiring organizations who receive funding from abroad, to fill in forms and produce a new type of documentation. Such organizations have to have Constancia de cumpimento – which is a government document confirming that they have produced and submitted all required documents. INPRHU managed to prepare all these new documents, which was a huge and rather stressful task during 2020. They are now waiting for the confirmation certificate from the government, which is taking time as there are 2000 NGOs in Nicaragua.

Read Aura’s report in Spanish.