Abstract:

Each year an estimated one billion children (one out of two children worldwide) suffer some form of physical, sexual or psychological violence or neglect (Hillis, et al., 2016). The right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence is affirmed by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its General Comment No. 13 (UNCRC, 2011). Moreover, the Sustainable Development Goals contain a clear call to eliminate violence against children (VAC), most explicitly in Target 16.2 (UN, 2015). Many efforts have been made globally to achieve these goals. Helping parents and caregivers to understand the importance of positive, non-violent discipline and of effective parent-child communication has been proved to be fundamental for the prevention of VAC (WHO, et al., 2016).

Based on these premises, the contribution aims to present a curriculum design conceived for a training course for parents and dedicated to the prevention of VAC. The training course was developed into the framework of the Erasmus+ KA2 Project DEPCIP (Digitized Education Of Parents For Children Protection, 2019-1-TR01-K204-077577) and involved five countries: Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Turkey.

A needs analysis was conducted to design the curriculum, taking into consideration data and main topics emerging from literature reviews, together with qualitative-quantitative guided interviews administered through Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) and qualitative in-depth interviews. The interviews involved more than a thousand parents in the five partner countries of the project.

The cross-national meta-synthesis of the data highlighted the need for standardized cultural-sensitive training programs based on more information, knowledge about child development, and strategies to address children's behaviors in a positive way. According to the needs analysis, four modules (M) were designed: Information on children’s rights and protection (M1), Self-reflection: parental perception and children protection (M2), Positive parenting and relational skills (M3), and Conclusion and assessment (M4). Different teaching methods have been envisaged, with the aim of creating a sacred space (Kisfalvi & Oliver, 2015) based on experiential learning (McCarty, 2010) where parents can discuss freely, exchange ideas, and share methods to address challenging situations with their children.

The contribution will offer an example of curriculum design for the prevention of VAC, with the aim of helping to disseminate and promote a new awareness on the topic of VAC and the importance of supporting parents as a first step in the prevention of VAC.

References:
[1] Hillis, S., et al. (2016). Global Prevalence of Past-Year Violence against Children: A Systematic Review and Minimum Estimates. Pediatrics, 137.
[2] Kisfalvi, V., Oliver, D. (2015). Creating and Maintaining a Safe Space in Experiential Learning. Journal of Management Education, n. 39(6), pp. 713-740.
[3] McCarty, M. (2010): Experiential Learning Theory: From Theory To Practice. Journal of Business & Economics Research (JBER), n. 8(5).
[4] UN (2015). Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
[5] UNCRC (2011). General comment No. 13. The Right of the Child to Freedom from all Forms of Violence.
[6] WHO, et al. (2016). INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children. Luxembourg: World Health Organization.

Keywords:

Curriculum design, parent training, violence against children, prevention, European project.