Scaling Up Playful Parenting in 34 local self-governments

With the aim of empowering parents and providing an environment for development, well-being, and health of children, while having in mind the essential importance of institutional and intersectoral support that professionals provide to parents with young children, Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) has implemented the project "Support to LSGs in developing and shaping of playful parenting related policies and practices" supported by UNICEF. The activities implemented within this project were aimed at improving services and programs supporting parenting and early childhood development, through strengthening the capacities of local self-governments for intersectoral cooperation in ensuring the continuity, quality, and availability of parenting support services.

With this project, SCTM supported the improvement of local public policies and regulations, and development of institutional and professional capacities of local self-governments and sectors of health, education, and social protection. The project was implemented in twenty percent of municipalities in Serbia (a total of 34), and the services and measures provided with the aim of improving the position of children and early childhood development and improving the position of parents included more than 60,000 families, health centers, preschool institutions, and social protection services providers. More than 1,000 early childhood development practitioners across the country have been supported in introducing the innovative practice, which has made the parenting support program a key segment of services provided locally during early childhood development, especially when there are difficulties in development and when that period is of extreme importance for recognizing and providing adequate treatment.

During the first phase of the project implementation, 5 towns and municipalities (Bor, Vranje, Kragujevac, Novi Pazar, Novi Sad) were establishing quality policies and inter-sectoral support mechanisms and developing encouraging parenting practices. Then the newly built knowledge, experiences and good practice from pilot towns and municipalities were transferred to the new 29 local governments (Bačka Palanka, Bački Petrovac, Bela Palanka, Boljevac, Veliko Gradište, Vladimirci, Vrbas, Vršac, Žabalj, Zemun – Beograd, Zrenjanin, Inđija, Kikinda, Knić, Kraljevo, Kruševac, Loznica, Mionica, Nova Varoš, Palilula – Beograd, Prijepolje, Raška, Svilajnac, Svrljig, Sjenica, Stara Pazova, Temerin, Titel i Ćuprija).

The implementation of project activities began in 2020, and until 2024, local self-governments were provided with a financial fund, i.e. a donation of equipment worth 6,000 dollars in the first phase of project implementation, and 3,000 dollars per local self-government during the second phase. The donated equipment was then redirected to institutions in the field of health, social protection, and education, as well as to development counseling units and newly opened parenting schools. In this way, pre-school institutions were provided with didactic tools, toys, and technical equipment, while health centers, facilities of social welfare centers, development counseling units and newly opened parenting schools were provided with materials and equipment, which improved the overall support for parenting and early childhood development.

On the subject of donated equipment, Nikola Tarbuk, SCTM Secretary General, explained that the donation is only a small part of the project, and that the focus is on integration of institutions in local self-government, which deal with early childhood development and parenting. "These local self-governments managed to create the conditions for programming measures in local budgets aimed at supporting children and parents in the earliest years, both through essential services of health care, preschool education and upbringing, social protection, and through community mobilization", Tarbuk explained and pointed out that 34 local self-governments will allocate over 100 million dinars for measures planned for this purpose in the year after the end of the project. Additionally, he emphasized the key role of local self-government, because it is the one that should define local policies in this area and finance them, be the bearer of coordination of various local institutions and take care of the well-being of its local community, including parents and the youngest fellow citizens.

Jadranka Đorđević, president assistant of the municipality of Ćuprija, confirmed that the municipality of Ćuprija has allocated funds in the budget for the continuation of the project and that parents will be able to, together with their children, suggest of activities to be implemented. "Valuable IT equipment and didactic resources that the municipality of Ćuprija received will improve the work of the development counseling unit at the health Center. The slogan under which our counseling unit will work from now on contains everything that is based on the growth and development of the child, which is actually the strength of the family, and that is - Strength is in the individual, strength is in the family. Our team of experts will be available for all questions and advice to parents", explained Ivana Nikolić, Ćuprija Health Center head nurse.

Tatjana Radović Tadić, visiting nurse at the health center in the municipality of Vrbas, highlighted three new services that resulted from the project - service of a family associate at the Social Welfare Center, Early Childhood Development School at the preschool institution, and Parenting School at the Health Center. "Topics that are covered at the School for Pregnant Women were adapted in accordance with learned from the project and new experts such as psychologists, pedagogues, pediatricians and pediatric nurses were introduced. Fathers will now have the opportunity to participate better and more actively and find their place in the care of babies, and babies and children will be more satisfied and will have a better connection with their parents, for the benefit of the whole community", said Radović Tadić.

Within the project "Support to LSGs in developing and shaping of playful parenting related policies and practices", 34 towns and municipalities participated in the Month of Parenthood, which UNICEF in Serbia celebrates every June, in order to draw attention to the fact that the basic prerequisite for quality care for children is actually care for their parents. The Month of Parenthood was celebrated as part of the project under the slogan "Playful parenting", and various activities were carried out in local governments throughout Serbia that brought together children, their parents, and educators, in order to highlight the importance of investing in the strength of parents and ensuring the best start for every child. Free multi-sectoral parenting schools have been launched, which include pediatricians, gynecologists, dentists, psychologists, pedagogues, social workers and visiting nurses. The first workshops for pregnant women were also organized, the aim of which is to prepare psychophysically for childbirth, while fathers were also present at the lectures. Also, parenting fairs were organized for the first time in these towns and municipalities, where experts from various fields provided support to parents, so that children could have a healthier and happier childhood.

Project "Support to LSGs in developing and shaping of playful parenting related policies and practices" was implemented as part of the program "Scaling Up Playful Parenting", which is jointly implemented by UNICEF, Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), Consortium of institutions and organizations supporting the scaling up of playful parenting such as the City Institute for Public Health Belgrade, Republic Institute for Social Protection, Alliance of the Associations of Medical Nurses in Preschool Centers of Serbia, Centre for Support to Early Childhood Development and Family Relations – Harmony, as well as the Institute for Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, with the support of Lego Foundation.