The present study explored how an intervention programme for fathers contributed to child and family well-being. Using a qualitative research methodology the authors conducted 20 interviews with 10 mothers and 10 children of fathers who had attended an intervention programme for fathers. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the data through face-to-face interviews. The data analysis was conducted by means of a thematic analysis. All ethical considerations were adhered to by ensuring the confidentiality and anonymity of participants. The following themes were found in the study: Child–parent relationships, Fathers Involvement in childcare and well-being. The study revealed that (1) the intervention contributed to the well-being of children and their families; (2) involvement of fathers in the lives of their children increased post the intervention; (3) fathers’ communication skills improved; (4) they were more involved in unpaid care and (5) spousal relationships improved with less conflict in their relationships.
André Lewaks, Edna Grace Rich, Nicolette Vanessa Roman
Abstract Few qualitative studies on parental perceptions of sleep interventions have been conducted, and little is known about parents’ subjective well-being in this context. This study explored parental experiences of subjective well-being when implementing child sleep interventions. Ten parents who approached a sleep consultancy for assistance with their children’s sleep problems participated in this qualitative study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and results were analysed thematically. Three key themes were identified: (1) parents as experts, (2) sleep interventions as a team effort, and (3) improvements in well-being are multifaceted. Findings indicate that parental well-being during sleep interventions may be influenced by their knowledge and beliefs, and participants highlighted a need for additional support, including peer support. Parent’s perceptions of subjective well-being in the context of behavioural sleep interventions may influence program adherence and completion. Parents may experience improvements in well-being after the intervention, attributable to enhanced routine, child well-being and improved sleep. The findings from this study may assist practitioners to develop more tailored interventions, subsequently minimizing parental distress during intervention implementation.
Early research on fatherhood in South Africa emphasize the prevalence of absent fathers and the detrimental impact thereof on families. More recent research on fatherhood, however, has shown a shift in fathering practices, where contemporary men engage in more involved and complicated fathering practices, which include nurturing and caring activities. Although local studies have begun to identify nurturing and caring activities in fathering, they have not comprehensively explored these caring ideas and practices. Furthermore, there has been a call for research providing more contextual knowledge on fathering practices across diverse groups of fathers locally and globally. This study, therefore, explored the ideas and practices of paternal care in a group that is especially under-represented in South African fatherhood literature. We draw on the data of fifteen families, each consisting of a father-figure, a mother-figure and an adolescent child. These 45 individuals were interviewed separately. The thematic analysis of participants’ accounts revealed complicated notions of paternal care. Although more contemporary caring ideas and practices of fathering behaviour were reported, these caring masculinity ideas remained intertwined with traditional hegemonic masculinity ideals. Nevertheless, these findings indicate that traditional ideas about fatherhood and masculinity have expanded to incorporate more nurturing, caring and expressive qualities.
BACKGROUND: Parents play a key role in providing nurturance and nurturing care to their child during the first 1000 days which is important for optimal child development. Various factors have been found to influence parenting but the contribution of these factors toward parental nurturance within the first 1000 days is not yet known in the South African context. This paper describes a protocol for a project that aims to develop a logic model of change for the determinants of parental nurturance in the first 1000 days in the South African context. METHOD: This study will apply a mixed methods approach with a sequential design within an intervention mapping framework. The study will occur in two phases. The first phase will identify the problem, which will be done via a scoping review, a policy review and a needs assessment for parents and stakeholders. This phase will recruit approximately 35 participants (20 parents and 15 stakeholders) for the qualitative component and then approximately 398 participants for the quantitative component. Data will be collected via semi-structured interviews and with questionnaires (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory, the Depression and Anxiety Scale, and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale). Data will be thematically analysed, and the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) will be used to determine descriptive statistics, both of which will inform the development of the model in phase 2. The second phase will be the development of a logic model of change for determinants for parental nurturance in the first thousand days. This phase will consist of one stage- a consensus workshop which will be attended by approximately 20 participants (5 parents, 5 pregnant woman/new mothers, and 10 stakeholders). The data collected in this stage will be thematically analysed and will contribute to the refinement of the model. DISCUSSION: The first thousand days (FTD) is a period in which rapid growth occurs in all domains of development. If children do not receive sensitive and responsive care in an environment that is conducive for their optimal development, children may not reach their full developmental potential.
Tessa Goldschmidt, Babatope Oluwadamilare Adebiyi, Nicolette Vanessa Roman
BACKGROUND: While intersectoral collaboration is considered valuable and important for achieving health outcomes, there are few examples of successes. The literature on intersectoral collaboration suggests that success relies on a shared understanding of what can be achieved collectively and whether stakeholders can agree on mutual goals or acceptable trade-offs. When health systems are faced with negotiating intersectoral responses to complex issues, achieving consensus across sectors can be a challenging and uncertain process. Stakeholders may present divergent framings of the problem based on their disciplinary background, interests and institutional mandates. This raises an important question about how different frames of problems and solutions affect the potential to work across sectors during the initiating phases of the policy process. METHODS: In this paper, this question was addressed through an analysis of the case of the First 1000 Days (FTD) Initiative, an intersectoral approach targeting early childhood in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. We conducted a documentary analysis of 34 policy and other documents on FTD (spanning global, national and subnational spheres) using Schmidt's conceptualisation of policy ideas in order to elicit framings of the policy problem and solutions. RESULTS: We identified three main frames, associated with different sectoral positionings - a biomedical frame, a nurturing care frame and a socioeconomic frame. Anchored in these different frames, ideas of the problem (definition) and appropriate policy solutions engaged with FTD and the task of intersectoral collaboration at different levels, with a variety of (sometimes cross) purposes. CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes on the importance of principled engagement processes at the beginning of collaborative processes to ensure that different framings are revealed, reflected upon and negotiated in order to arrive at a joint determination of common goals.
Early childhood development is critical for children’s optimal development. This is even more so for children with disabilities who are often confronted with barriers preventing them from reaching their full potential. In this regard, it is estimated that only 5 per cent of children with disabilities are attending early childhood development programmes in South Africa. The rights of South African children with disabilities to early childhood development in line with international law against the backdrop of the Constitution and national legislation are evaluated. South Africa’s compliance with the rights embodied in these instruments are indicated. Suggestions for improvements are made.
The international recognition of the critical importance of the early childhood phase has been firmly established through decades of rigorous research, evidence-based practices, and undeniable evidence of the returns on investment made during this formative period. Consequently, early childhood development has emerged as a top priority on both national and international agendas. This momentum reached a pinnacle in 2015 with the unanimous adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations, which placed a particular emphasis on children under the age of five within the education-focused SDG 4, notably target 4.2, centered on ensuring that all girls and boys are ready for primary education through the provision of accessible "quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education". However, the Global South reflects the glaring omission of addressing the needs of children at risk of poor development due to disabilities. This paper underscores the imperative for specialized early childhood intervention tailored to young children with disabilities and their families, commencing as early as possible following birth. It advocates for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) as a service distinct from general Early Childhood Development (ECD), emphasizing the crucial role of families as active partners from the outset. Furthermore, the paper strengthens the case for Family-Centered Early Childhood Intervention (Fc-ECI) through the integration of evidence-based practices and an in-depth description of one such program in South Africa with specific reference to deaf and hard-of-hearing infants and their families. This model will be guided by core concepts outlined in WHO and UNICEF Early Childhood Intervention frameworks. Through this exploration, the paper aims to shed light on the urgent need for inclusive approaches to early childhood development, particularly for children with disabilities, and to advocate for the adoption of Family-Centered Early Childhood Intervention as a cornerstone of global efforts to ensure the holistic well-being and development of all children.
This article interrogates early childhood development (ECD) provisioning in the province of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It argues that while well-structured and integrated early childhood development ECD) programmes are at the epicentre of sustainable national human resource development (HRD) strategies, the Eastern Cape’s infant mortality rate (IMR) of 61.2 per 1000 live births is the highest in South Africa. It reaches alarming rates of 99 deaths per 1000 live births in the eastern part of the province where poverty is rife. This scenario mirrors national trends in that while South Africa is rated as an upper middle-income country and a prominent economy that accounts for over 75% of the entire SADC’s GDP, 40% of its young children grow up in abject poverty. It argues that in order for the Eastern Cape to be competitive and sustainable in the long term, the provincial government needs to invest heavily in the well-being of children through well-structured and sustainable ECD programs.
Focusing on the realities of early childhood development in South Africa and other resource-constrained settings, Early childhood development and intervention in a majority world context: A multi-disciplinary perspective brings together interdisciplinary scholarship that responds to the urgent need for locally grounded evidence and contextually relevant interventions. As the third volume in the Human Functioning, Technology and Health Book Series, the book presents contributions from researchers across the health, education and social sciences, offering new insights into the complex factors shaping the well-being and development of young children and their families. The volume examines the realities influencing child development in the early years, including poverty, prenatal exposure to harmful substances, HIV, unequal access to services and broader social and cultural influences on health and education. Across a wide range of themes — from maternal mental health, nutrition and feeding, to language development, hearing, play, motor development and education — the contributors demonstrate how context-sensitive interventions can improve developmental outcomes and advance equitable access to care and support. A distinctive strength of this volume lies in its Afrocentric and evidence-based approach. Much of the existing literature on early childhood development originates in resource-rich, minority-world settings, whereas this collection foregrounds research conducted largely in the Western Cape province and other South African contexts. By documenting the lived realities of local populations, including children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders, premature infants and children living with HIV, the book expands current knowledge while addressing gaps rarely explored in previous scholarship. The volume also highlights innovative service-delivery models and community-based interventions designed to overcome barriers to health and educational services. In doing so, it provides valuable insights for scholars, clinicians, researchers, practitioners, policymakers and postgraduate students seeking to strengthen early childhood development systems and promote socially responsive, contextually relevant child development practices. Rich in interdisciplinary insight and grounded in local realities, this book makes an important contribution to the growing body of research aimed at improving developmental outcomes for vulnerable children in South Africa and beyond.
Children learn most effectively when they are interacting with the world around them in their homes, where even very young children are increasingly exposed to digital gadgets. Therefore, it is typical to see young children watching videos, playing games on tablets, or doing internet research. With such rapid advancements, it is important to have a deeper knowledge of the views of parents on the use of digital technology in regular play and learning activities in Early childhood development. The study aimed to explore how parents perceive the use of digital technologies in rural ECD centres of O R Tambo Inland District, Eastern Cape Province. The study adopted Bronfenbrenner’s theory of ecological system which emphasizes the important role of the environment in which children learn, develop, and grow through the influence of various elements in their environments. This was a qualitative study that used the case study as a design. The participants for the study included 7 parents of children in two rural ECD centres of O R Tambo Inland District. The parents were purposefully selected as information-rich participants in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The study’s findings revealed that most parents supported the use of digital technologies in ECD. They believe that if the children’s cultural knowledge is integrated with technology, the opportunities to foster playful learning will be unlimited.
