ABOUT THE Global Initiative
to Support Parents (GISP)
Who We Are
GISP works with governments, civil society partners, researchers and donors to promote universal access to parenting and caregiver support so that every child can receive the support they need during the first two decades of life and across the life course.
Founding Partners
GISP was initiated by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), Parenting for Lifelong Health at the University of Oxford, the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), and the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children. This inter-agency collaboration was formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Objectives
GISP is a global platform to support existing initiatives and accelerate catalytic investment in innovations and scale-up. We do this through four pillars of work:
Scale
Invest in proven, cost-effective parenting interventions while building capacity to sustain service delivery.
Innovation
Design new digital and hybrid approaches to support parents that leverage technology to lower costs, increase uptake, and reach underserved populations, including in crisis.
Evidence Generation and Knowledge Sharing
Test initiatives through real-world trials, optimization studies on core components, and implementation research across contexts at scale.
Advocacy
Invest in advocacy for the uptake of parenting support initiatives through policy advocacy and public and private financing. Call on governments and other stakeholders to support and invest in universal access to parenting support programmes.
Why We Must All Support Parents and Caregivers
The evidence is clear: supporting parents to provide responsive and nurturing care to children and adolescents can have strong positive influences on child and adolescent development across multiple outcomes. This includes:
- Optimizing children’s development in early childhood and beyond
- Improving growth and nutritional status
- Enhancing children and caregiver’s mental health
- Interrupting the cycle of violence and neglect
- Improving positive interactions of children and caregivers
- Increasing attendance at routine health visits
- Promoting positive social norms about protecting and nurturing children
