Citation

Dari NKW, Mawodza O, Mingo E, Olson BD. Aust. N. Zeal. J. Fam. Ther. 2018; 39(3): 380-393.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Australian Association of Family Therapy, Publisher Wiley Blackwell)

DOI

10.1002/anzf.1321

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In this paper, the authors discuss multi-level systems for parenting in Harare, Zimbabwe. At the micro-system level, the Tirere Pamwe parenting program is a supportive, empowering prototype, designed to educate parents on child development, with a special focus on socio-emotional development, from birth to age 18 years. The program has been delivered to a diverse group of parents, in diverse settings, which has helped to bring a greater contextual relevance to parenting practices, and seems thereby to have increased the mental well-being of children. At the macro-system level, international law and Zimbabwaean laws emphasise the need to protect children from both physical and psychological harm. These different layers are examined through the varying theoretical perspectives of community psychologist Julian Rappaport (, , , , ), such as his emphasis on paradox, empowerment, second-order change, and narrative.

Key Points

- Non‐physical harm of children by parents is often minimised and may go unnoticed.
- Some cultural practices and values perpetrate child abuse.
- Parents and children shape their formative narratives, which are inseparable from their broader ecology.
- Exclusive focus on problems and deficits undermines the humanity of the human relationship.
- The Tirere Pamwe parent training program actively gathered the narratives and living experiences of its participants.

Language: en

Keywords

child protection; empowerment; parenting