Nobody’s Perfect Presentation to the XIX Pan American Child Congress October 2004

Introduction Family violence is a pervasive and complex societal problem in Canada Canadian children in half a million households have seen or heard one parent being assaulted by the other 135,573 child maltreatment investigations in Canada in 1998 Approximately 40,000 Canadian children were living in foster care or settings away from their home of origin because of the intervention of child protection authorities

Our Work on Family Violence is Rooted in: CRC Article 19 -children must be protected from all forms of violence CRC Article 27 -every child should have the right to a standard of living adequate for the child’s overall development World Fit for Children Canada Fit for Children

Canada’s Response to Family Violence Coordination and Collaboration National Data Collection Research and Policy Development Community Capacity Building Prevention and Intervention

Promotion of Positive Parenting through the Nobody’s Perfect Program Parent education and support Awareness and education for parents about alternatives to physical discipline Dissemination of new information for parents on infant and child development

Nobody’s Perfect is: A parenting education and support program for parents of children from birth to age five Designed for parents who are young, single, socially or geographically isolated or who have low income or limited formal education Participation is voluntary and free of charge Based on five easy-to-read, colourful booklets given to parents: Behaviour, Safety, Body, Mind, Parents

Program Goals Promote positive parenting Increase parents’ understanding of children’s health, safety and behaviour Help parents build on the skills they have and learn new ones Improve parents’ self-esteem, self confidence, and coping skills Increase self-help and mutual support Prevent intra-familial violence

Nobody’s Perfect Beliefs Parents love their children and want to be good parents Nobody is born knowing how to be a parent. All parents need information and support Helping parents to meet their own needs is important Parents appreciate practical ideas

How Does Nobody’s Perfect Work? Easily adaptable, flexible and sustainable Can be tailored to meet the needs of participants and organizations Train-the-trainer model Facilitated group sessions Offered in community-based settings Participant-centred approach

Coverage and Reach 12,000 parents reached directly in Canada each year Translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Inuktitut Program is being fully implemented in Japan Program can be adapted for use in other countries

What Parents Say… “I know now not to hit…” “My children would say that I am not yelling as much, and I laugh more.” “I learned the safest, most respectful way to raise my daughter, and to take care of myself.”

Nobody’s Perfect Parent Group, 2004

Areas for Collaboration Contact information for trainers is available to interested countries Nobody’s Perfect kits in Spanish and some in Portuguese are available to Congress delegates Contact information to obtain more copies is included with the package