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      Parenting and Scale-Up Working Group

      Expert community committed to effective evidence-based parenting programs

      About the Parenting and Scale-Up Working Group

      A community of practice shared learning event for members to connect and build lines of communication with one another, share ideas, skills, research, resources, multiple perspectives, and new information regarding this topic.

      Our Mission:

      Our goal for this Working Group is to have a collective group of people collaborating, learning from one another and engaging to provide personal growth in your daily work. The Parenting Working Group will be moderated by Genevieve Haupt Ronnie and Saara Thakur from the Global Parenting Initiative

      Shape the future of the Parenting Working Group

      Bring your ideas and expertise and collaborate with us on events at ISPCAN Congresses and online throughout the year. Together, we'll create opportunities to explore emerging parenting issues, share and create valuable resources, expand knowledge, and work to bring parenting programs into action.

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      Why Join the Parenting and Scale-Up Working Group?

      Global Connections

      Network with parenting experts, and mentors worldwide.

      Impactful Programs

      Access to data driven effective parenting programs.

      Career Advancement

      Opportunities to present your work at ISPCAN congresses and virtually.

      Cutting-Edge Research

      Work alongside world-renowned parenting experts to make an impact in this critical area.

      Collaborate & Innovate

      Learn from others and work on global parenting projects, research, and advocacy initiatives.

      Support for Child Protection Professionals

      Get the expertise and support you need to address burnout and fatigue

      Get Involved

      How to get involved in the Parenting and Scale-Up Working Group

      Sign up for an ISPCAN Membership

      Connect with the Parenting Working Group on the member portal

      Subscribe to the ISPCAN Newsletter and discussions in the member portal

      Join the discussion, start connecting & grow your career!

      Who Can Join?

      If you are a parenting expert or have an interest in learning more about positive parenting programs, then please join us for the latest cutting-edge research and practice in this area, please consider joining us. The Parenting Working group is open to active ISPCAN members only.

      Current Projects

      Join us in Melbourne

      Bring your ideas and expertise and collaborate with us during the pre-congress Parenting Working Group Meeting in Melbourne. Together, we'll create opportunities to enhance your skills, expand your knowledge, and build meaningful connections.

      New Project Presented at Vilnius Congress

      The Global Conceptual Framework for Universal Parenting Support sets out UNICEF’s vision for how countries can build strong, coherent and inclusive systems of support for parents and caregivers across the life course. Grounded in children’s rights and informed by global evidence, the Framework provides a shared foundation for aligning policies, financing, workforce development and service delivery around one common goal: ensuring that every family has access to the support they need to raise children in safe, nurturing and protective environments.

      Cutting-edge Programs, Resources and Events

      Global Parenting Initiative

      The GPI conducts innovative and rigorous research to increase the evidence of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of PLH’s human-digital playful parenting programmes.

      Parenting for Lifelong Health Training Programs

      PLH tools have been adapted to more than 30 country contexts. From here, you can filter and find open-source trainer manuals, guidelines and other resources to create tailored parenting programs

      Parenting Working Group Meetings at Congresses

      Half-day pre-congress working group will offer a half-day workshop tailored to CAN professionals.

      PARENTING EMERGING THEMES

      • Supporting Wellness through Integrated Family Training (SWIFT)

      • ParentText Optimisation and Evaluation

      • Parenting within the Public Health System

      • Parenting within the Preschool System

      • Parenting on the Border is a research project supporting migrant and displaced families

      • Parenting within the Social Welfare System

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      Related Resources

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      Contributing Partners:

      CHILDLIGHT Global Child Safety Institute
      Human Dignity Foundation
      The University of Edinburgh
      Region: Asia, North America, South America, Central America & Caribbean, Europe & Russia, Australia & New Zealand, Africa, Middle East, Global
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      Contributing Partners:

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      Contributing Partners:

      Region: Global
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      Presented By:
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      Contributing Partners:

      Global Parenting Initiative (GPI)
      Region: Global
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      Presented By:
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      Contributing Partners:

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      Region: Global
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      Conveners of the Parenting Working Group

      Genevieve Haupt Ronnie

      Community of Practice Lead and Junior Research Fellow, University of Cape Town

      Genevieve Haupt Ronnie is the Community of Practice Lead with the Global Parenting Initiative. She is also the Country Lead for qualitative data collection for the Scale-Up of Parenting Evaluation Research (SUPER) study. She is a Junior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR) at the University of Cape Town. She has a keen interest in all aspects of equality and how it affects services and rights for all, especially young people.

      Saara Thakur

      Parenting Scale-Up Lead, University of Oxford

      Saara Thakur is a public health graduate and has worked with the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and the Violence Prevention team at the WHO, Headquarters. She joined the University of Oxford Department of Social Policy and Intervention and Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and worked on the dissemination of evidence-informed parenting resources, which have reached over 196 million beneficiaries in 198 countries and territories and are part of 34 government COVID-19 responses.

      Maggie Marx

      University of Cape Town

      Maggie Marx (she/her) earned her stripes as writer and copy editor for a large variety of South African titles and ecommerce platforms after which she took up the helm as research uptake and communications coordinator for the international research consortium, the Programme for Improving Mental Healthcare (PRIME) lead from the Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health at UCT.

      ISPCAN Requirements

      Anyone working with ISPCAN, participating in events, trainings or associated with ISPCAN in any capacity as members or non-members must abide by our policies. Please review all of the information below before agreeing.

      Safeguarding Policies

      Code of Conduct

      Diversity and Inclusion

      ISPCAN By-Laws

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