The TO+PS program was developed to motivate supportive parenting behaviors in highly stressed families. Families in economic distress may develop poor marital and parent-child relationships with harmful patterns of parenting due to parental psychopathology and harsh/punitive child/adolescent parenting practices with child maladjustment. The program will also promote socio-emotional competence.

The TO+PS programme aims to stimulate the development of the perception of parental abilities on emotional-, educational-, communication- , cognitive- and conflict resolution levels. After the identification of vulnerable Parent-Child pairs and their families; these families in need will be referred for immediate psycho-social assessment. If found to be in need of further treatment; the parent and/or child will be referred for further appropriated specialized treatment. Once stable the parent-child pair will continue with the TO+PS program.

The training program will commence as a pilot project which will run over 5 weeks at the Daspoort Clinic.  Training to develop positive-supportive parenting skills will teach parents to be role models for: emotional warmth, physical- and emotional security, empathy, improve secure attachment, provide positive structure, guidance and discipline.

The program will include:

• Psychoeducation on the bio-psycho-social aspects of child development to manage parental expectations of their child.
• Parental responsibilities.
• How to become sensitive to a child’s needs.
• The impact of the different parenting styles on the child’s behaviour and emotions.
• Noticing abnormal child development.
• Improving parent-child communication.
• The importance of a positive parental role model.
• Communication: listening & talking skills.
• The value of a positive parental self-esteem.
• Assertiveness, and conflict negotiation.  
• Positive discipline, monitoring-time-out, consequences.
• Discussion of norms. How to set reasonable, and clear limits.

Apart from the research that would be generated through this project, the intention is to start rolling out the programme from 2019 in Public Health Care Clinics (PHCC’s) starting in Pretoria, then Gauteng and the rest of South Africa. We will also deliver an annual programme in Pretoria that will be CPD and Ethics accredited for the benefit of Health Care Professionals, Allied Health Workers and Lay People.

On a larger scale we have entered into a collaboration agreement with the University of Liverpool to conduct research and to continuously improve the TO+PS Programme with a view to deliver it in all Official Development Assistance (ODA) Countries in Africa. To achieve this goal both our Universities have applied to the Newton Fund for project funding spanning 2019 -2021. We have also applied to the National Research Fund (NRF) to provide funding for the roll-out in Gauteng and the rest of South Africa.