More than 400 parents from 30 communities islandwide have been equipped with knowledge and strategies to better raise their children without using abusive actions.
The training was facilitated under the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III Parenting Education Programme and included one-on-one in-home intensive coaching, as well as workshops, over a six-month period.
The programme, which was rolled out in November 2017, builds on a pilot project that was implemented by the CSJP III in the western section of the island with positive results. A total of 284 parents and 22 community parent trainers formed the latest batch of graduates from the programme. They were recognised during a ceremony held at the Spanish Court Hotel in St. Andrew, on Thursday (Oct 24).
The Parenting Education Programme seeks to reduce the incidence of corporal punishment by parents; promote positive communication; help parents establish effective rules; improve parental involvement in the lives of children; train parents in conflict resolution techniques; and promote a cadre of Community Parent Trainers (CPTs) in each region as resource persons in communities to assist parents in achieving the desired goal.
In her address at the ceremony, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Dianne McIntosh, encouraged the graduates to be ambassadors for effective parenting within their communities. “It takes a village to raise a child…and while this task can be overly demanding, we parents are not alone. The Citizen Security and Justice Programme is part of that village… and has seen the need to assist with guiding parents with their parenting styles, improving their parenting styles, impacting more than 400 parents in over 30 communities through intense training,” she said.
