In 2021, the COVID – 19 restrictions posed many challenges, during the third year of ICDP implementation in the country. Lockdowns disrupted mobility in the field. A feeling of anxiety spread among people, including staff, who became fearful about being contaminated by the virus. On top of that, the typhoon Rai affected many parts of the Visayas region. But these challenges also revealed the effectiveness, relevance, appropriateness, scalability and sustainability of the parenting programme. The structures and mechanisms established by the parenting programme on the ground were effective – people did it.
ICDP was making good progress in Bangladesh in 2021.
In 2021 many activities were disrupted due to COVID-19, but despite this the ICDP team managed to organize and carry out training of three groups of facilitators. As a result, 209 caregivers and 425 children w.ere reached by the ICDP courses.
Save the Children have produced a new study, and this time the study looked at the impact of ICDP on children. Many thanks to Disa Sjoblom who has been the driving force behind this work and also the whole team in Save the Children Nepal that has been rolling out the ICDP programme as part of their parenting package. Their excellent work is reflected in the evaluation results:
Parents/ caregiver became more engaged with their children
Maltreatment by caregivers reduced
Children’s development across all early childhood domains improved, i.e. social, emotional, cognitive, language and motor development (age of children 0-5)
There were improvements in nutrition practices but the time was probably too short to have significant impact on nutritional outcomes
Children from smaller families and boys had higher development gains (which means that we must pay more attention to gender inequalities in parenting and ensure that parents engage with all children)
Children who had more frequent exposure to psychological aggression and neglect by parents/ caregivers had smaller development gains
During the autumn months in 2021, an ICDP sensitization project took place at the Amanecer International Centre, near the city of Armenia in Colombia.
The project was attended by vulnerable young people, mostly adolescent mothers who were also part of a programme called “Daughers of Peace” of the GHFP Foundation. The participants included 19 young people with ages between 18 and 25 years old. Some of them already had children. Seven participants came with children who attended the nursery at the Amanecer Centre during the period the project lasted, whereas the children of three other participants were not present; two of the participants were in the state of pregnancy. The ICDP trainers, Carmen Lucia Andrade and Blanca Cecilia Garcia, explained about the ICDP process:
We noted that working on the concepts of parenting and exploring local cultural practices in group, gradually strengthened the young participants’ self-esteem, by recognizing the importance of their role as mothers and identifying what good childcaring means. They saw the importance of leaving good memories for their children and not repeating difficult processes they had themselves experienced when they were growing up, that there is no room for abuse and violent behavior. They explored how we relate to children in our culture and explored and evaluated the typical concepts and prejudices. We enhanced positive aspects of local child rearing culture through dances, telling stories and playing games, which made the participants understand their value in parenting. Reliving good memories of their childhood made them understand their own children better. Daily interaction was valued for the creation of affective bonds through good treatment of children in everyday situations. Gradually the participants became aware and understood why it is necessary to make positive changes in relation to their children. They began to show their ability to express themselves affectively with their children and made efforts to increase their moments of closeness with them. They discovered that they must participate and join their children’s experiences, follow them and guide them in the discovery of the world, with patience, attention, dedication and enthusiasm; that they can help the development of intelligence in their children. They became determined to completely avoid hitting children and to stop screaming at them, realizing the damage such actions cause to the physical, emotional and mental development of children. They explored, practiced and demonstrated their ability to regulate their children’s actions in a positive way. The ICDP process guided them to conclude that it is not difficult to have good dialogues and communication in their daily interactive moments with their children and that with a little bit of awareness and patience a great deal can be achieved towards a happy and harmonious relationship. Participants were motivated to sustain and enrich learning. The self-assessment scale using the 8 ICDP guidelines as criteria for self-evaluation was explained and the interaction profile of some participants was made. With one of the mothers, we illustrated in depth how one can make one’s own interaction profile and then based on it we discussed how to make a strategy for future improvement of those aspects that had a low rating in the interaction profile. We asked participants to answer a few questions as a general evaluation at the end of the course, which confirmed that our work had a positive impact on this group.
Participation in parental guidance groups leads to increased coping in parenting and an improved relationship between parents and children, according to a new study of the ICDP in Norway conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Design: RCT study, the families who participated in the study were randomly drawn to be either in the intervention or control group
Parental guidance is a widespread measure – offered to parents who experience challenges related to having children, and preventive to parents who do not experience this type of difficulties. In Norway, many parents take advantage of the offer in the municipality in which they live.
From 2017-2021, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has conducted a study of the most widespread public parental guidance programme, the International Child Development Programme (ICDP). The aim of the study was to find out what effect the program has in Norway, and to investigate whether the ICDP can contribute to a positive change in the role of parents, strengthen the relationship between parents and children, and improve children’s well-being.
The study looked at the “standard version of the ICDP,” which targets the entire population. The ICDP is also offered to specific groups, which this study has not investigated.
The study shows that ICDP guidance has a positive effect on parents and the relationship between parents and children. The study found that parents feel safer in parenting after participating in the ICDP programme.
“The parents report that they feel closer to their child, experience less conflicts about child rearing in the relationship, and have a more supportive parenting style after completing ICDP guidance, compared to the control group that was not part of the programme,” says project adviser Eia Elena Skjønsberg.
This year as well, our ICDP work has been influenced by COVID-19, but despite the difficulties in dealing with the pandemic, we have had a growing interest in relationship work over the last 2 years. The progress has been so significant that it has been necessary to involve new forces in our administration and management.
Working professionally with human interaction requires empathy and sensitivity, because only then can we be touched and moved by other people. All our activities are permeated by this perspective and are based, among other things, on the assumption that relational conditions are dynamic and changeable. With the help of the eight themes for good interaction, we can strengthen the good life for children and young people through the togetherness and upbringing of the new generation. We are proud to be able to contribute to this important task through our management of the heritage from Karsten Hundeide. On behalf of the Danish Center for ICDP Anne Linder and Jens Linder
Click here to read the full report about the activities in Denmark in 2021
In the small village of Pargas in the south west of Finland, a new group of local professionals completed their training in the ICDP basic programme and received their certificates on the 11th of November, 2021. The group was multi professional consisting of people from child protection, speech therapy, nursing, psychology as well as day care and school personnel. The course was conducted by two ICDP trainers, the early childhood special educator Jaana Tirkkonen and the psychologist Petra Zilliacus.
“Some lovely and lively discussions were held, especially about the impact of the caregiver’s view of the child and what it means to truly meet the child as a person.” – says Petra Zilliacus.
In Finland, the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters has been using the ICDP programme for seven years now. The Federation is a non-profit NGO, their webpage: www.ensijaturvakotienliitto.fi
The Federation provides assistance to victims of domestic violence; it works on child abuse prevention and offers help to expectant mothers suffering from substance abuse. Their expertise is based on close cooperation with members of the association offering assistance to families in difficult situations, by tackling their grievances and offering solutions. Considerable efforts are made to make the voice of families with children heard and the emergency recognised in the social debate. They gather and publish information on the circumstances of families in difficult positions and influence central government and municipalities to take families into account in decision-making.
The Federation counts on groups of ICDP facilitators who apply the ICDP programme with parents and children. In November, a group of ten professionals who have all been working as ICDP facilitators for some time, embarked on further training to become ICDP certified trainers. The ten facilitators attended the Trainer level workshop from 1-3rd of November 2021, conducted online by Nicoletta Armstrong. The training will continue in person, in 2022.
Having trainers is important for the Federation, because trainers will be engaged in forming new groups of ICDP facilitators inside their networks of care – in this way, the ICDP programme will be sustained and as a result more families will be reached in years to come.
ICDP Finland has been active for ten years now, year 2021 being its tenth year in operation. Much as during 2020, the COVID pandemic and the resulting restrictions have impacted our activities greatly.
The association has not been able to offer any trainings. Organizations around the country have also had trainings and groups largely on pause.
However, ICDP Finland has now been able to focus on its membership activities. We have 55 registered members and starting from September we have arranged a virtual ICDP morning coffee for members once a month.
ICDP Finland has also taken part in ICDP Norden (Nordic) board meetings and will continue the collaboration with the other Nordic countries.
The association has a registered and active website www.icdp.fi and is also active on social media, mainly Facebook and Instagram.
We hope to return to normal operation during 2022, with physical trainings and a 10-year anniversary with all ICDP trained people in Finland.
The ICDP Finland association will continue to work on introducing and spreading ICDP in Finland in both official language (Finnish and Swedish) as well as developing the programme in Finland.
Update from Zenona Gread, ICDP trainer and coordinator from Save the Children’s office in Ormoc city, Philippines, where the ICDP programme is a key component of the Child Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP) programme:
In May 2021, a total of 2,008 (1,404 females; 604 males) parents from nine barangays of Villaba (Hinabuyan and Sambulawan), Kananga (Lonoy, Naghalin, Natubgan and Poblacion) and Ormoc City (San Jose, Can-untog and Dunghol) graduated from the parenting programme. Among the 27 children and youth who gave testimonies during the graduation ceremony, was the 16 years old Jobert Lebolora from Sambulawan, Villaba, who shared the following:
“I see a big behaviour change in my mother because of the parenting programme. She used to nag and shout when giving orders and she easily flared up when we asked her something. But I noticed that during the course of the parenting sessions, she has slowly softened. She doesn’t nag nor does she shout anymore. Our family has become peaceful. My mother and father don’t fight or shout at each other anymore. So, we children help do the household chores without having to be told.”
The qualitative study by an external consultant of the impact on fathers and children of the specially adapted parenting course for fathers, also revealed positive changes of behaviour.
Fathers said that the parenting sessions showed them how to show love and affection to both boys and girls, which they thought was only done by rich families. It made them realize that expressions of love and affection are for all and can be done by mothers and fathers. Here’s a personal account of one of the participant fathers:
“I used to come home from the fields tired and irritable, I even hit the children with a broom, pinched their ears and yelled at them for slightest causes. I didn’t notice their joy upon seeing me come home. They used to meet me and ask if I brought any frogs from the paddies; and when I didn’t, they would get so disappointed, ignoring me, finding any excuse not to do anything I ask of them. After participating in the parenting sessions, I realized I needed to reciprocate their eagerness and happiness on seeing me; and I realized later that that the frogs made them happy, that they liked playing with them, before we cooked them for dinner. Now I make sure to catch some frogs before coming home…”
The participant mothers expressed that they were not just witnesses to the shift in their husbands’ behaviour, but saw themselves as being part of that change. The positive change of their husbands’ behaviour was also an effect of their own change of behaviour through the parenting sessions they too attended.
A total of 64 Family Support Groups (FSGs) were formed as a sustainability and support mechanism of the parenting programme. FSGs served as the venue for the parents/caregivers to review the parenting topics and continue their savings scheme, “Ang Pangarap kong Proyekto (My dreamed project”) through monthly meetings. FSG savings is a significant facilitating factor for children’s continued education amidst the pandemic. Most FSG savings were used for children’s school needs (Wi-Fi and mobile phones for online classes). A number of FSG members earmarked their savings for house repairs, medical needs of family members, house construction, washing machine, refrigerator, electricity installation, and livelihood capitalization for passenger tricycles, meat vending, hog raising and emergency purposes which also impact on the well-being of the whole family.
Another significant result of the project is that the parenting facilitators organized themselves into a formal cooperative whose aim is to carry on regular updates and reviews of the parenting topics, as well as managing their savings.
Other accomplishments:
Adoption of the ICDP parenting programme by Ormoc City Social Welfare Office as an implementation strategy of the “Ormoc City Children’s Welfare Code” for the 110 barangays of the city.
During the period between March and July 2021, the roll out of the ICDP parenting programme took place in Ormoc Barangays for a total of 135 parent participants (123 females; 12males)
Adoption of the ICDP parenting programme by DSWD – Region 8 as a social case management strategy of the Kilos Unlad (KU) framework [1] in implementation of the 4Ps law or RA 11310, for the whole region per agreement with 4Ps Regional Programme Management Office. Video documentation of the decision by the 4Ps Division Chief was sent to SC Finland.
In March 2021, ICDP Facilitator level training was given to 20 (15 females; 2 males) Provincial Links and Social Welfare Officers of DSWD – Region 8 Implementation
ICDP parenting programme graduation of 2008 (1,404 females; 604 males) 4Ps parent participants took place in May 2021.
ICDP Facilitator level training was given to 150 (130 females; 20 males) officers of the Provincial Links of 4Ps Region 8, as preparatory activities for Year 2022 KU framework implementation of the 4Ps.
Evaluations and reflections were carried out of the ICDP parenting programme roll out by the Ormoc City Social Welfare and Development facilitators
[1]Kilos–Unlad Framework, it is a 7-year modular social case management strategy that aims to guide the 4Ps households to achieve an improved well-being.
