The Strong Families preventive program is a program of the UN agency, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), for which NARKO-NE obtained the license and has been implementing it since 2020. It is a family skills program that supports parents/guardians in challenging child-rearing environments and strengthens positive family functioning and interaction. The program is evidence-based and contributes to increasing the social inclusion of children and families at risk. Measurements have shown that the program is effective in the way that it improves parental self-confidence and skills for adequate child care, improves children’s behavior (reducing aggression, emotional and behavioral difficulties), increases the capacity of parents and children to cope with stress and improving the mental health of all family members. Thanks to these changes, the program is effective in preventing a wide range of social and health problems, including the prevention of substance use, child and youth violence, and crime.

Structure of the Strong Families program

First week: Preparatory session for parents/guardians (Understanding strengths and stress), 1h

Second week: Parallel sessions for parents/guardians and children, followed by a joint family session (Using love and boundaries, Learning about stress, Learning about each other), 2h

Third week: Parallel sessions for parents/guardians and children, followed by a joint family session (Teaching children what is right, Respecting rules and gratitude to parents, Supporting values and dreams), 2h

Program Goals:

Parent/guardian sessions: stress management and improving coping resources, boosting confidence, and development of skills to develop positive parenting strategies

Children’s sessions: improvement of mental health, better stress management, reducing risky behaviors

Family sessions: improved communication and relationships within the family, improved mental health of the family

Participation in the program

Participation in the program requieres that parents/guardians come with one or more children between the ages of 8 and 15 to the scheduled sessions. The session in the first week lasts an hour and is intended for parents/guardians, while in the second and third weeks the sessions last two hours each. For the first hour, there are parallel separate sessions for children and sessions for parents/guardians. Immediately after the separate sessions, a joint session for the whole family begins (children and parents/guardians join). The program offers many games and activities that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. Participation in the program is free.

Registration for participation in the program can be done here and is ongoing. The program coordinator will contact all applicants and inform them about the session schedules. Registration is also possible by the phone at 062 959 009 (Alma Hadžiskakić).

The program is carried out by experts, who have additionally received training to lead the Strong Family Program.