Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Child Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies - The Development and Implementation of a National Parent Support Policy in Jamaica, Expert Consultation on Family and Parenting Support, UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti Florence 26-27 May 2014

2.  Background to Policy Development
› Research
› State Initiatives
› Existing Laws and Policies
 National Approach to Parenting
- National Parenting Support Policy
- National Parenting Strategy
- National Parent Support Commission
 Lessons Learnt

4.  Pre-Independent Jamaica
 Arose from concerns about children and
families of lower socio-economic status
 Illegitimacy and Concubinage considered
a problem
 “My Mother who Fathered Me” by Edith
Clarke

5. Independent Jamaica
Young University
Focussed on early childhood group and lower
SES
 Health Concerns: Malnutrition
 Education: Early Childhood Movement
 Social : Ethnographic Studies on families

6.  Limited parent-child interaction
 Limited father involvement
 Inadequate resources to provide
stimulation in the home
 Gender differences in expectations for
boys and girls.

7.  Large sample size
 Quantitative analysis
 Comprehensive in scope: Multiple factors investigated e.g.
family structure, family function, parenting stress
 Outcome measures included: Parenting able to be linked to
child academic and behaviour outcomes
 Population based methodology led to inclusion of parents of
all socio-economic groups
 Longitudinal methodology allowed for tracking of parenting
across time and in children of different ages

8. 90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
82.3
86.4
82.9
73.8
65.4
6 yrs. 12 yrs. 16 yrs.
68.5
Parenting by Biological Parents
Mother Father

9. 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Changing Family Structures Through Childhood
Relationship between Parents
Birth 6 12 16
None Visiting Common Law Married

10.  Parent Domain
› Competence
› Attachment
 Child Domain
› Acceptability
› Demandingness

11.  2004: First National Survey on Parenting. Special module in the
annual household survey, the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions
 Quantitative analysis
 Comprehensive in scope: Multiple factors investigated e.g. family
structure, family function, parenting stress
 Population based methodology led to inclusion of parents of all
socio-economic groups
 Included children of all ages
 No capacity for inclusion of outcome measures
 No capacity for Longitudinal methodology

13.  Arose from the Ministry of Education in 1991
 Attempt to strengthen the MoE’s efforts to
improve parenting through PTAs
 Coalition for Better Parenting, an umbrella
group of NGOs supporting parenting formed
 Initially supported by UNICEF and MoE
 Sustainability challenges

14.  Early Childhood Commission (ECC)
established by the Government of Jamaica
in 2003 to advance ECD
 Governed by a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary
board. Policies and
programmes implemented by operational
arm

15.  Acknowledged the importance of parenting in
young children’s development
 Recommended the following:
› Professional representing parenting interests be
appointed to ECC Board (2004)
› Development of a National Parenting Support Policy
› Parenting and Community Intervention Sub-
Committee of the ECC Board established (2005)
› Parenting added to Community Intervention Co-ordinator
title (2005)

16.  ECC National Strategic Plan for ECD used ife cyce
approach
 Included parenting as first key strategic objective
 Also included identification and support for families at risk
as Strategic Objective 3
 Objective: To provide parents with accessible and high
quality parent education and support allowing for optimal
development of children

17. EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SECTOR
NSP STRATEGY MAP – OCTOBER 2007
STRATEGIC PLAN 2008-13
National impact
Customer
satisfaction
Key processes Working environment
I1. Critical thinking,
socially
competent,
healthy children
ready for life
I2. Parents are
informed, educated,
Fathers, mothers, guardians
are involved and satisfied
with services provided to
their children
involved and
supported in meeting
early childhood
development needs
Our children’s
special needs are
taken care of
IP1:
Effective
parenting
education
and
support
IP2:
Effective
preventive
health
care
IP3:
Effective
screening,
diagnosis
and
intervention
for “at risk”
IP4: Safe
learner
centred
well-maintained
EC facilities
LG1: The sector and sector
agencies are achieveing
targets and are governed by
frameworks that promote
achieving results in a
consultative environment
LG2:
IP5: Effective
curriculum
delivery by
trained early
childhood
practitioners
Timely clear and current
information to support evidence
based decision making

19.  Development of National Parent Support
Policy (2005)
 NPSP would not be punitive. Focus on
“support” and education (existing Child
Care and Protection Act)
 Policy should include children of all ages

20.  Assess what existed
› Review of existing parenting materials
› Review of existing parenting
 Conduct Research to Fill Gaps
› Parental request for help
› Limited accessibility
› Variable quality
 Develop Strategy to meet Objectives
› Mapping of Parenting Support Programmes
› Development of Parenting Strategy
› Development of Parenting Standards

22.  Child Care and Protection Act (2004)
 Office of Children’s Advocate (2006)
› Commission of Parliament mandated to enforce and
protect child rights
 Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (2002) (Ministry
of Labour and Social Security)
› Children: from birth to completion of secondary
education
› Elderly: 60 years or over, and not in receipt of a
pension
› Persons with Disabilities
› Pregnant and Lactating Women
› Poor Adults 18-59 years

24.  National Parent Support Policy
 National Parent Support Commission
 National Parenting Strategy
 National Parenting Standards

25.  First attempt by GOJ to codify a broad national
understanding of parenting issues, and at stating its
commitment to strengthen and improve parent
support services
 Provides an enabling environment to support
parents in execution of their responsibilities
 Defines the institutional framework required to
support national programming
 Identifies and defines the role of stakeholders : GOJ,
NGOs, FBOs, academia, media, IDP etc

26.  All parents in Jamaica, -whether by virtue of
having given birth, adopting or serving as
guardians- recognise and accept their duty
to ensure that the rights of children are
always upheld, the best interests of children
are always promoted and their children are
always loved and provided with
opportunities and resources to achieve their
full potential and ultimate fulfilment within
safe, caring and nurturing environments

27.  All Jamaicans make wise choices about
becoming parents and make parenting a
priority
 All Jamaican children are loved, nurtured
and protected instinctively and
unconditionally by their parents
 Each parent understands and utilises /
applies positive practices in effective
parenting

28.  An enabling institutional framework exists
to support parenting
 Ensuring that the principles and implications
of effective parenting are communicated to
the public in user friendly ways that enable
comprehension of the material
Policy includes Parent Charter outlining
parental responsibilities

29.  Effected through the National Parent
Support Commission Act (2012)
 Established to implement National Parent
Support Policy
 Structure similar to that of ECC

30.  Advise the Minister on policy matters
relating to parenting and family matters
in Jamaica, including initiatives to
achieve the goals of the NPP and to
strengthen the partnerships between
home and school
 Act as a co-ordinating agency to
streamline GOJ activities relating to
parent support

31.  Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the NPP
 Make recommendations to the Minister with respect
to plans and programming concerning parenting
support and home –school relationships
 Convene consultations with relevant stakeholders
 Analyse resource needs and make
recommendations for budgetary allocations for
parenting support programmes
 Identify alternative sources of financing through
negotiations with donor and non-donor agencies

32.  Identify, collect and disseminate information
and best practices on relevant to parenting
practices and outcome in Jamaica
 Develop a national standards and
accreditation system for the delivery of
parenting support services
 Collaborate with NGOs programmes to ensure
effective co-ordination of activities, utilisation
of resourcesand implementation of the NPSP
and plans and programmes relating thereto.

33.  Management Board of 16-21 members
 Reports directly to Minister of Education
through the Chairman
 Cross Sectoral
 Representatives of GOJ MDA as well as
individuals
 Operational Arm, managed by ED

34.  Children’s Advocate
 ED of CDA
 ED of ECC
 PS in Ministries responsible for social security
 PS in Ministry responsible for health
 PS in Ministry responsible for youth
 PS in Ministry responsible for education
 Opposition Representative
 Attorney at Law appointed by the AG’s office
 A person between 15 and 24 years of age
 A representative of a teachers’ association
 At least 4 persons from civil society, with knowledge in child
psychology, social work or parenting matters
 Other persons from academia or the private sector with
knowledge as above
 ED of NPSC (ex-officio

35.  Developed by the ECC through
consultation with stakeholders

36.  A national network of branded community-based
parenting support centres (“one-stop-shops”),
with parenting information and
courses, and a potential range of other
recreational and social services available
 A concept more than a building: attached or
allied to variety of public and private services,
e.g. health clinic, basic or primary school,
NGO, FBO, library
 Staffed through agency/community initiatives:
existing or new paid staff or volunteers

37.  Level I: Provides a place where information
is available to parents
 Level II: Parenting Support Training
Programmes provided in addition
 Level III: Specialist Services also available

40.  Standard 1: Physical Environment
 Standard 2: Programme Design
 Standard 3: Programme Administration
 Standard 4: Human Resources
 Standard 5: Programme Materials
 Standard 6: Programme Monitoring and
Evaluation

42.  Existence of local research important to address needs
 Lower SES groups and EC was the driver for both research
and policy development, but policy included all groups
 Stakeholder partnerships: CBP, Consultations,
Representation on GOJ Commissions
 Existence of an enabling agency (institutional anchor) for
policy development
 Policy development drove establishment of government
agency to co-ordinate parenting
 This agency was important for policy implementation

43.  Parents Places being established
primarily in primary schools (NPSC) and
early childhood centres (ECC) where
GOJ staff exists
 Limited establishment by communities;
limited human resources as parent
facilitators