UNICEF concludes Social Behaviour Change in Parenting workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Health

Muscat, October 24, 2023 – In partnership with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF organized a training workshop on “Positive Parenting Practices” dedicated to educating and equipping the Ministry’s frontline workers on the latest knowledge on positive parenting in the context of social behavior change (SBC). 

The three-day course was designed to provide health educators and social workers at primary healthcare centers and other health facilities with the necessary skills required to raise awareness among parents and caregivers about positive parenting practices to ensure that parents are providing children with the best start in life.  

Topics covered included early childhood development, responsive feeding practices, positive discipline, and inclusion of children with disabilities. Within the modules presented, SBC experts covered important milestones and developmental stages in a child’s life. UNICEF and technical experts at the Ministry of Health facilitated discussions about the crucial roles caregivers play in the child’s brain development, cognitive and emotional skills.  

“The family is the main foundation stone of the Omani society, and health facilities have an important role in promoting social skills and positive practices among parents. The ministry of health’s social workers and health educators are providing constant counseling and awareness raising through health information, positive practices and social norms, this has a direct impact on improving health indicators such as: child development, increasing breastfeeding rates and protecting children’s safety” Dr Badriya Al-Rashdi - Director General, Primary Health Care at the Ministry of Health.  

“As UNICEF we are committed to extend our support to the government of Oman by introducing the first-of-its-kind parenting SBC training that looks at the latest parenting trends globally and apply them on the local context, building the capacity of social workers in Oman through these modules will contribute in cascading the rightful positive attitudes back to parents and eventually impact the development and nurturing of children” said H.E Sumaira Chowdhury - UNICEF Representative to the Sultanate of Oman.   

UNICEF globally defines parenting as the interactions, behaviours, emotions, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and practices associated with the provision of nurturing care. This refers to the process of promoting and supporting the development and socialization of the child. It is the entrusted and abiding task of parents to prepare children, as they develop, for the physical, psychosocial, and economic conditions in which they live, work, play, learn and thrive.  

In Oman, UNICEF is working with the government of the Sultanate of Oman to strengthen and elevate the capacity of social workers and front-line champions across the country to portray positive messages and raise awareness about critical parenting practices which has explicit impact on the development and well-being of Omani children. UNICEF also calls on governments and companies to create more family-friendly policies, so parents and caregivers get the time and support they need to bring up happy and healthy children.