Better parenting starts with knowing what works. We tested a project in 8 African countries

Raising adolescents can be difficult under the best of circumstances. On top of that, some families are also dealing with poverty, unemployment, conflict, displacement, illness and climate shocks. In these conditions, caregivers may receive very little support themselves.

Governments and NGOs are increasingly using parenting support programmes as part of efforts to reduce violence against children and improve adolescent wellbeing. These programmes help caregivers and adolescents strengthen relationships, communicate better, solve problems together and manage conflict. They are typically delivered in small groups over several weekly sessions by trained facilitators.

Many parenting programmes are first tested in rigorous studies. Families are randomly assigned to receive the programme or to a comparison group. This is a way of finding out whether a programme is the real cause of improvements. The trials usually take place under carefully managed conditions.

As researchers who study parenting programmes, we wanted to answer an important question: can a parenting programme that works in a carefully controlled trial still benefit families when it is delivered at scale through routine government and NGO services?

Our recent research examined this question across eight African countries.

Our findings

Rather than running a new experiment, we analysed data collected as part of large-scale programme delivery. We brought together information from more than 120,000 adolescents and caregivers across the eight countries. We also examined how families' experiences changed after they took part in a programme. Existing government and NGO services in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe delivered the programmes. These countries provided a variety of settings.

We found consistent associations with improvements in parenting, mental health and violence prevention. Across the eight countries, caregivers and adolescents reported lower levels of physical and emotional violence after taking part in the programme. We also found improvements in parenting practices, including more positive involvement and better supervision of adolescents. Caregivers reported lower parenting stress and fewer depressive symptoms. Also, adolescents reported improvements in depressive symptoms and behavioural problems.

Finding that programmes can make a difference under real-world conditions is important because interventions that work well in research studies often become less effective when expanded into routine service delivery.

Parenting support programmes

Parenting support programmes vary, but many share a similar approach. “Evidence-based” programmes have been rigorously evaluated and shown through research to improve outcomes for children and families.

They are practical, skills-based programmes. They help caregivers and adolescents communicate better, manage conflict at home and reduce harsh punishment. They also build more supportive relationships. Sessions may include role-play, problem-solving activities, or discussions about handling stress, peer pressure or family finances.

Importantly, these programmes are not about “perfect parenting”, nor are they about blaming caregivers. Many families are parenting under extremely difficult conditions with very limited support.

The programme we studied, Parenting for Lifelong Health for Teens, was developed with the World Health Organization and Unicef. It was first tested in South Africa before government and NGO services took it up in several African countries. It has also been delivered in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Why scaling up is difficult

Expanding programmes sometimes means delivering them with fewer resources, less supervision or more interruptions. Staff may have varying levels of training and support. In humanitarian settings, conflict, disease outbreaks or climate disasters may disrupt delivery.

That is why we wanted to understand whether parenting programmes could still be useful when delivered in real-world conditions.

The programmes in our study were delivered in very different contexts. Some took place in areas affected by conflict and displacement, including parts of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Others were delivered during COVID-19 lockdowns. In Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, delivery moved to phone and WhatsApp. Limited internet connectivity and access to data often hampered this.

The study focused mainly on adolescent girls and their caregivers because many of the wider service programmes were designed to support girls facing risks linked to violence, HIV and social vulnerability.

What we found

Overall, physical abuse scores were around two-thirds lower after programme participation, although the extent of change varied between countries and contexts. We saw positive changes across this wide range of settings, from conflict-affected communities to pandemic situations.

Emotional abuse and approval of corporal punishment also declined across countries.

We saw similar patterns in reports from both caregivers and adolescents. This matters because it suggests the findings were not limited to one group reporting more positively after participating.

We also found substantial differences between countries in baseline levels of violence, mental health distress and family stress. This is important because there is no single “African context”, and programmes need to work across very different social and economic realities.

Why this matters

In many African countries violence prevention, mental health and family support tend to be treated as separate areas of policy and practice. But everyday family relationships connect them. Parenting support is gaining recognition as one way to prevent violence.

Our findings suggest that helping caregivers and adolescents build more supportive relationships can improve wellbeing and safety.

There are limitations to our study. We cannot conclude that the programme was the only cause of improvements. But the consistency of the findings across countries, organisations and participant groups suggests that evidence-based parenting programmes can be helpful when delivered at scale in challenging conditions.

In recent years, governments globally have made commitments to preventing violence against children. That is only the first step. Governments also need approaches that are practical, scalable and realistic to deliver through routine systems. Our findings suggest that evidence-based parenting support can be one of these approaches.

Inge Vallance works for the University of Oxford. Her position is supported by external research funding, including grants that supported the research discussed in this article. She has no financial interest in Parenting for Lifelong Health.

Genevieve Haupt Ronnie works for the University of Cape Town. Her position is supported by external research funding, including grants that supported the research discussed in this article. She has no financial interest in Parenting for Lifelong Health.

By Inge Vallance, Head of Research, University of Oxford And

Genevieve Haupt Ronnie, Research fellow, University of Cape Town

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