Leading voices from research, policy, and practice came together to explore a simple but powerful idea: if we want to reduce violence and build more equal societies, we need to start with families—and with how we support them.
Lucia Quintero (Oak Foundation) set the tone for the discussion by focusing on the importance of addressing the intersections of violence against women and violence against children. These forms of violence, she noted, often overlap and share root causes, yet are still too often addressed separately. Parenting programmes, she suggested, offer a critical opportunity to bridge this divide when they are designed with this intersection in mind. This framing created a strong entry point for the evidence that followed.
Starting from the evidence: what the mapping reveals
Jane Kato-Wallace (Prevention Collaborative) introduced the global mapping, an effort spanning 69 parenting programmes across 43 countries, designed to better understand how programmes are currently engaging with gender, violence, and caregiving.
As she explained, the mapping was conceived as a global snapshot rather than an exhaustive review, aiming to capture how programmes are evolving in real-world contexts, particularly across the Global South. It highlights a field in transition: parenting programmes are widely implemented and already support child development and family well-being—but only a portion are intentionally designed to address both violence against children and intimate partner violence together.
Why gender-transformative approaches matter
From there, Christine Kolbe-Stuart (UNICEF) deepened the discussion by focusing on what makes programmes more effective. She pointed to the importance of gender-transformative approaches—those that go beyond including both mothers and fathers to actively addressing harmful norms, unequal power dynamics, and roles within the household. Emerging evidence shows that when programmes take this approach, they can reduce both violent discipline and intimate partner violence, while also strengthening communication, relationships, and child outcomes.
This marks an important shift: parenting programmes are not only about improving caregiving practices—they can also reshape relationships within families.
From design to practice: what implementation looks like
Moving into implementation realities and bringing a country-level perspective, Ha Tran (Research and Training Centre for Community Development) shared insights from Vietnam’s Early Journey of Life programme. Integrated into existing health services and adapted to local realities, the programme illustrates how parenting support can be embedded within systems families already use, while also promoting shared caregiving and more equitable relationships.
Jenny Doubt (Parenting for Lifelong Health) reflected on the diversity of delivery models, from in-person group sessions and home visits to hybrid approaches using digital tools. These models allow programmes to reach families in different contexts, but also require careful attention to adaptation, facilitator capacity, and quality of delivery.
Persistent gaps and clear opportunities
Across the discussion, a consistent message emerged: while there is strong momentum, important gaps remain.
Most parenting programmes are not yet addressing gender equality and power dynamics in a systematic way, and only a portion currently tackle both violence against children and violence against women together. Practitioners continue to face challenges—from limited time and capacity to uncertainty around how to engage fathers or address sensitive issues safely.
At the same time, the mapping highlights clear opportunities:
- to strengthen existing programmes, rather than build new ones from scratch
- to integrate gender and violence prevention into established delivery platforms and
- to create more spaces for shared learning and exchange across the field
A shared direction forward
Parenting programmes are already delivering across multiple development priorities—but their full potential lies in becoming more intentional, integrated, and systemically embedded. Scaling gender-aware and gender-transformative approaches through national systems is not just an ambition, it is a necessary next step. The discussion also pointed to practical ways forward, including a series of briefs and tools designed to support practitioners in adapting programmes to better address gender inequality and violence.
What began with Lucia’s call to address the intersections of violence ended with a shared recognition: meaningful change requires moving beyond silos and seeing families as interconnected spaces, where safety, equality, and care must be addressed together. Beyond a presentation of findings, the event offered an invitation to rethink how parenting programmes can contribute to safer, more equal futures, starting at home.
