Session: Family Interventions in Humanitarian Settings: Synthesizing Evidence across a Range of Approaches (Society for Social Work and Research 28th Annual Conference - Recentering & Democratizing Knowledge: The Next 30 Years of Social Work Science)

Background and purpose: Parent and whole family interventions have become an increasingly popular approach to addressing caregiver, adolescent, and child wellbeing in humanitarian settings, but little evidence exists detailing what works best in these fragile settings. This symposium aims to synthesize findings from a scoping review examining parenting programs in humanitarian settings as well as three evaluations of different parenting and family interventions: Safe at Home (SaH), carried out in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Journey of Life (JoL), implemented with refugee caregivers in Uganda, and the Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE) intervention, with findings from Jordan, Nigeria, and Niger.

Methods: We will first present results from a waitlisted, pilot, cluster-randomized controlled trial of (SaH). Outcomes included family functioning, past-three-month IPV victimization among women, and child abuse as perpetrated by either caregiver. Second, we will present findings from mixed methods research activities used to understand the contextualization, implementation, and outcomes of SSAGE. Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and participatory group activities were conducted with 447 participants across the three sites, and quantitative survey data were collected in Jordan and Niger, to understand the program’s impact on adolescent girls’ safety and well-being. Next, we will present a waitlist-control quasi-experimental evaluation of JoL, which was implemented with 1200 caregiver participants to assess the program’s impact on caregivers’ mental distress, functioning, and caregiving behaviors. To complement the evaluation findings, a scoping review was conducted to understand how existing gender transformative programmatic material addresses the unique circumstances of parenting in humanitarian settings, reflect on transferability and adaptability considerations, and offer best practices. Relevant materials were drawn from peer-reviewed and grey literature.

Results: Women participating in SaH reported significantly lower odds of experiencing IPV and using physical or psychological harsh discipline against their children as opposed to those in the waitlist arm at endline. Men reported non-significant reductions in child abuse, but significant improvements in gender equitable attitudes and power sharing. In addition to presenting quantitative findings from the SSAGE evaluations (which revealed positive changes in mental distress, family functioning, and resilience), we will share insights around unintended consequences and challenges in implementation. For JoL, findings show the intervention improved mental distress, parental acceptance, and parental rejection, but significant associations were not demonstrated for functioning or social support. Finally, while analysis for the parenting scoping review is currently underway, we aim to present findings on the extent to which parenting programs in humanitarian settings have used gender transformative approaches to address child well-being and violence within the household.

Conclusion and implications: Findings across the four presentations will demonstrate the potential of caregiver and whole-family interventions to support caregiver, adolescent, child and family well-being and safety in humanitarian settings. Key considerations for maximal impact, with a special emphasis on gender transformative programming, will also be reviewed.