CHILD PROTECTION WEEK : Free to Grow: How parenting initiative helps to break cycles of abuse at home

The Free to Grow programme helps working parents to develop nonviolent parenting skills, manage stress and resolve conflict. For some, this has transformed their relationships by removing the violence and trauma that once marked them.

As South Africa marks Child Protection Week from 29 May to 5 June in the shadow of continued violence against children and women, several Western Cape-based organisations and companies are taking an unusual but increasingly important approach to child safety, helping employees to become better parents.

Through a partnership between the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Seven Passes Initiative and agro-processing company Tikketai, employees are taking part in the Free to Grow programme, a 12-week, evidence-informed parenting initiative delivered during working hours at company sites.

The programme focuses on nurturing nonviolent parenting skills while helping working parents to manage stress, regulate emotions and resolve conflict peacefully, both at home and in the workplace. The organisations say the programme is already showing significant results, improving relationships at home and also strengthening workplace productivity and cohesion.

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Tikketai chief executive Burger Gericke said the company initially became involved after noticing rising emotional distress among workers, which was beginning to affect productivity and team relationships.

“Employees were showing obvious warning signs of trauma, high anxiety and an inability to regulate their emotions, frequently resulting in angry or aggressive outbursts. They struggled to maintain focus due to intergenerational cycles of violence and stressful home situations, [which spilled] over into the workplace,” said Gericke.

He said the company structured employee shifts to ensure operations continued while workers attend the programme.

According to Dr Thandi van Heyningen, a clinical psychologist and senior researcher at the ISS, the programme has transformed family relationships for some participants.

She shared the story of one father whose relationship with his children dramatically improved after attending the sessions.

“He had previously had a very difficult and conflictual relationship with his son, so much so that they did not speak to each ­other. The father was also prone to using physical and verbal aggression towards his children…

“By participating in the programme, his behaviour and attitude towards his children shifted. They responded positively to this shift, and today he has a warm, responsive relationship with his so