The Connect Parenting Intervention was piloted in 2021 at a Child and Youth Care Centre in South Africa. The intervention aimed to enhance the caregiving skills of child and youth care workers (CYCWs) through an attachment-based parenting programme.
Key components of the project included training sessions, role-playing activities, and reflective exercises to enhance CYCWs’ caregiving skills.
The impact of the eConnect project on the target community of CYCWs and children in care includes:
– Improved caregiving skills among CYCWs leading to better quality care for children and youth.
– Enhanced ability to diffuse conflicts and foster empathetic interactions with children in care.
– Increased cultural awareness and sensitivity regarding traditional African parenting values.
The usefulness of the programme was assessed: Critical Reflections on the Usefulness of eConnect to a Sample of Child and Youth Care Workers in South Africa.
These findings informed the current intervention with caregivers in Marikana, Daveyton.
The study’s findings have also been shared at international meetings:
1. Findings from a discussion group: Contextual and Cultural fit of eConnect role-plays in South Africa. CONNECT meeting, University of Pavia, Italy.
2. eConnect South Africa. International Attachment Conference. Pre-Conference session. Lisbon, Portugal.
3. eConnect in South Africa: Usefulness and Contextual Fit for Child and Youth Care Workers. International Attachment Conference. Pre-Conference session. Lisbon, Portugal.