A PARENTING manual on positive methods of discipline was launched by Save the Children Fiji (SCF) yesterday.Titled Positive Discipline: What it is and how to do it is "an approach to parenting that teaches children and guides their behaviour, while respecting their rights to healthy development, protection from violence and participation in their learning" said the manual's author, Dr Joan Durrant.
SCF programs manager Lynette Petueli said the manual would strengthen their work in ensuring the rights of children were protected.
They hope to distribute the manual as widely as possible.
"We have done a lot of work at community level through our mobile play group projects as well as our training with partners and institutions on child protection and on children's rights in general," she said.
"The arrival of this parenting manual will fit into the ongoing process of public awareness."
Ms Petueli said SCF would take the manuals to the various communities.
"We will also contextualise the parenting manual so it can suit the needs of parents here in Fiji. We then plan to take it through our mobile playgroup project which works with several communities in Suva and Labasa particularly."
She said there was a continuous interaction between SCF and the various communities and these were assessed to gauge the different levels of change that took place.
The mobile play group project was established in 2002 and services 17 communities in Suva and Labasa.
"For most communities the value of early childhood education is already there but it is just a matter of having a facility and resources to be able to establish their own early childhood centres or playgroup centres so people are aware of the importance of early childhood education to give children a head start in life."
"For most parents it's a learning experience.
"We encourage people to learn from what has happened and from the awareness programs that we run and hopefully be able to practice it in their daily lives," she said.
Adapted from Fijitimes Online