Parent Training (including migrant parent training)

The Centre’s Parenting Training service strengthens workers’ (in particular migrant workers’) parenting skills. Whether the family lives together, or parenting has to be done remotely, our training for working parents helps them build closer relationships with their children, while at the same time helps factories address such challenges as high turnover; distracted or unproductive workers; low worker morale and trust in management. 

To meet the varied needs of production sites and their workforce, The Centre offers customised parenting sessions which can be tailored to support migrant workers who live separately from their children (migrant parents training), as well as those who live with their children. Training is available in basic and advanced modules, with advanced training generally offered to those parents who’ve successfully completed the basic training and wish to strengthen their parenting skills further. 

The Centre’s migrant parent training sessions are available both onsite or online to enable workers to get continued parenting support. To date, we have delivered parenting training to support workers in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vietnam.

Target Audience

Working parents with children aged 0-18 years old, especially migrant workers separated from their children or migrant workers living with their children but who nonetheless spend little time with them. 

Parenting Training Topics

The training programme covers all or a selection of the following themes (depending on the training type chosen i.e. basic, advanced and the local context) and is adapted to the local context. 

• Understanding children at different ages and their needs

• Dealing with stressful times and anxiety 

• Making the most of your time with your child

• Good communication techniques to use with your children

• Child protection (bullying, cyber safety, sex education, child labour risks, child marriage etc.)

• Home schooling your children and effective remote communication

• Hygiene and health during COVID-19; identifying the signs of distress and how to protect your child

• The importance of self-care as a parent

Training Objectives

Migrant parent training aims to break the cycle of detachment and give parents the support and tools they need to ensure their child is not just materially looked after, but emotionally as well. The premise for this programme is that with the wellbeing of the parent and their family taken into account, the parent will be a much more focused, loyal and happy worker. Specifically, the training aims to:

• Increase the sense of value as a parent and lead a happier and healthier life

• Understand the rights and needs of the child at different ages for better communication with and support to their children

• Develop effective remote communication skills with their children to build closer relationships

Methodology

The training applies a participatory learning approach, using methods of questions & answers engagement (e.g. via drawings, sticker notes, group activities, videos, role plays and case studies). The trainer(s) will lead the participants through each session and facilitate the discussions on their concerns and solutions/best practices in dealing with their children. Interaction with participants takes place throughout the training, and experience sharing and learning among participants themselves are equally critical to the success of the training.

This training programme (like all our programmes) measures the feedback as well as the impact on knowledge, awareness and reported behaviour change through both pre -and post-questionnaires and interviews.

Additionally, depending on the factory’s needs, The Centre and the client can identify and train personnel on-site to continue to promote and support migrant parents through a Training of Trainers (ToT). We have also successfully set up online parenting communities for our clients to ensure the sustainability of this programme and have a free WeChat platform with weekly articles on parenting (see more below).

14,615 workers took part in The Centre’s migrant parent training programme between 2014 and 2020. Below is the consolidated feedback from 1249 of those workers.  

Training Materials

The training package for onsite training consists of a booklet and handouts that participants can keep and take home.

eLearning Support

The Centre's WeChat eLearning platform supports parent workers in China, particularly those with left-behind children. We post new content on a weekly basis including The Centre-developed comic lessons, videos and quizzes from UNICEF, and parenting tips and insights from external accounts.