A family skills prevention programme for families living in stressful and challenged settings.
Family skills programmes support caregivers to be better parents and strengthen positive age-specific and age-appropriate family functioning and interactions. They promote a warm child-rearing style where parents set rules for acceptable behaviours, closely monitor free time and friendship patterns, and become good role models while helping their children to acquire skills to make informed decisions. Owing to these changes, these programmes are effective in preventing a wide range of social and health problems, including preventing substance use, violence against children and youth violence, and crime. Family skills programmes additionally provide positive effects on the mental well-being of parents and reduce parental and occupational stress and support the development of children with fewer behavioral and emotional problems. Inspired by this body of knowledge UNODC Drug Prevention and Health Branch, Prevention Treatment and Rehabilitation Section has been actively promoting and piloting such evidence-based programmes globally since 2010 in over 30 low- and middle-income countries.
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages SDG 3.5
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all SDG 4.1, SDG 4.5, SDG 4.7
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls SDG 5.2
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels SDG 16.1, SDG 16.2
The Strong Families Programme was developed and piloted in Afghanistan thanks to the generous support of the US-INL. To date, this programme has further been piloted in Central America, Central and West Asia, East and West Africa, and in over 30 countries, thanks to the support of Japan, Sweden, France, US-INL and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
