This document outlines an analytical framework for examining family and parenting support policies across countries. It discusses trends in two main forms of family support - services and cash payments - as well as two forms of parenting support - education/information and health programs. The framework proposes analyzing these policies based on their underlying philosophy, main drivers and actors, aims and modalities of provision, and expected outcomes. It also identifies gaps in understanding the impacts and discusses explanations for cross-national differences in family support approaches.

1. Family and Parenting
Support
Mary Daly
Conceptualisation/perspective
Trends/findings
Analytical Framework

2. Key Questions
•What are the main lines of
development/trends of family
support and parenting support and
what are the aims and modalities?
•What are the underpinning rationales
as well as the connections to other
policy areas?
•What or who is driving
developments?

3. Analytical Complexities
• How are both family and parenting
support to be defined and demarcated
from each other as well as from other
policy domains?
• How can they be compared across such a
wide range of countries?
• How does one determine what is new here
and what are developments an evolution
of?

4. The possible aims are:
• compensating for the costs of children;
• reducing poverty faced by families and children;
• promoting children’s well-being, development
and rights;
• supporting or otherwise affecting fertility;
• changing employment rates;
• changing the nature and extent of gendered
practices, relations and inequality;
• address family problems or ‘problem families’

5. Towards a Definition
• Family support is:
• both a way of working with families and a philosophical
approach that recognises and seeks to bolster the
strengths and functioning of families
• Parenting support is:
•Oriented to parents and how they execute or perform
their parenting role;
•Has as a primary aim to increase the parents’ resources
(broadly defined) and competencies.

6. Methods and Data
• Literature and document review
• Case studies of 10 countries– Belarus,
Chile, China, Croatia, England, Jamaica,
Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden
• Database assembled from UNICEF
country/regional office feedback (33
countries)

7. Main Trends (1)
• Family support being developed in two main forms:
• a) through services – especially social, health and
psychological services to families
• b) through reorientation or establishment of cash
payments to families
• Both are driven by concerns around child protection and
the recognition of family weaknesses/strengths
• Variation is widespread however but fairly widely the
focus is on ‘problem families’

8. Main Trends (2)
• Parenting support is also quite extensive
• It takes two main forms:
• Education/information
• Health – family visiting
• It mainly comes from the early child
development thrust but is also furthered
by a child risk perspective

9. Drilling down further
• Family and parenting are providing a focus for innovation
and policy development within and across countries
• They sometimes are being developed together but in
other cases are separate
• Difficult to see a clear theoretical base to the
developments
• The extent to which provision is formal depends on the
general stage of development and the nature of family
• .A struggle between universal and targeted but targeting
is winning
• More multi-dimensional or inter-linked approaches

10. 4 Lines of Analysis
• Underlying philosophy/values
• The main drivers and actors
• The main aims and modalities
• Impact and outcomes

11. Analytical Framework 1
• Family:
• a source of problems and also
solutions (responsibilities)
• Material and other challenges,
relationship problems
• Child
• Inadequate child
‘performance’/development
• Child risk/child well-being
• Parents:
• Parental skills, competences
• Parental dysfunction
Philosophy
and
Underlying
Values?

12. Analytical Framework 2
• The role of social and demographic
challenges and their interpretation
• Changing perspectives around
children
• The international agencies
• Experts/professionals – and the
belief in evidence
• State actors - particular kinds of
politics/political agency
• Community actors
Drivers/
Actors?

13. Analytical Framework 3: Aims and
Modalities
• Formal or informal
• Targeted or universal
• Ways of working (top down or bottom up)
• Degree of intervention
• Single or connected set of interventions
• Embeddedness in policy and law
Key details
of
provision?
• Social work and counselling services
• Home visiting (health focused)
• Community supports for families
• Cash transfers /public works
• Child protection measures
• Education provision around parenting
Main
Expressions
in Policy?

14. Analytical Framework 4
• Child focused:
• Emotional and behavioural
• Educational
• Reduced risk
• Parent focused:
• Skills, knowledge and competencies
• Orientations and attitudes
• Emotional, mental and material
resources and well-being
• Family focused:
• Improved stability and functioning
• Improved material and other
resources
• Better integration/less isolation
Associated/Exp
ected
Outcomes?

15. Where are the knowledge and
information gaps?
• A theory of change
• Gap between statement of
intent and reality
• Tracing and identifying and
measuring outcomes

16. Explanations for Cross-national
Differences
• 1. The perspective on and organisation for child welfare and welfare
system more broadly
• 2. Stage of development of the state and public support systems
• 3. Prevailing approach taken to family (including legal and cultural
approach)
• 4. The professions and professional philosophies that are dominant
• 5. The ‘problems’ or ‘needs’ that the provisions are meant to
address