Scaling parenting support through healthcare systems for stronger families

WHO is committed to expanding evidence-based parenting interventions through health and allied sectors. By collaborating across multiple departments—including Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health, Social Determinants of Health, Mental Health and Substance Use, and Behavioural Science—we are driving meaningful change for parents and caregivers worldwide.

This initiative is making a direct impact in Colombia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Thailand, where governments and partners are:

• Strengthening coordination across sectors and services to better support parents and caregivers. 
• Expanding evidence-based parenting programs through existing systems to achieve greater reach and sustainability. 
• Enhancing government capacity to integrate parenting support into health and allied services. 

The Parenting Community of Practice (CoP) aims to be a collaborative platform designed to foster knowledge sharing, capacity building, and policy influence among stakeholders engaged in parenting programmes. The stakeholders currently include representatives from country and regional offices of the WHO, as well as government ministries from various countries. Please see more on the CoP programme for 2025 here.

The webpage will serve as a central hub for

1. Sharing research, best practices, and lessons learned from parenting programmes.
2. Providing a platform for knowledge sharing of webinars, case studies etc. 
3. Showcasing country-level initiatives and impact stories.
4. Facilitating collaboration among WHO parenting practitioners and implementers, policymakers, and researchers.
5. Hosting relevant tools, training materials, and policy briefs etc.