From March 10 to 12, 2026, a training for new facilitators of the Strong Families Programme was held in Mostar. The training brought together 22 professionals from the Center for Social Work Mostar, the SPES Center for Children, Youth and Families Mostar, and the Center for Social Work Čitluk, who had the opportunity to become thoroughly acquainted with the programme and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for its successful implementation.

The family is the first environment in which a child learns behavioral patterns, adopts values, and develops ways of coping with challenges. When this environment lacks strong foundations for healthy emotional and social development, the likelihood increases that a young person will have difficulty recognizing external pressures and responding to challenges appropriately, which in the long term may increase the risk of developing addiction.

For this reason, the Addiction Prevention Competence Centre emphasizes the importance of high-quality, supportive family relationships as one of the key protective factors in addiction prevention. In response to this need, the Strong Families Programme developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is being implemented. The programme focuses on strengthening parenting competencies, improving family skills, and encouraging open communication and positive relationships among family members. Through this programme, parents and caregivers receive support in their parenting roles, while families are empowered to create a stable and supportive home environment.

The training for new facilitators was led by Alma Hadžiskakić, Programme Associate for Family-Based Prevention, and Andrea Mijatović, Deputy Executive Director of the Addiction Prevention Competence Centre. Through interactive methods, they introduced participants to the programme concept, its structure, and implementation approach.

The programme’s results to date indicate significant positive changes in both parents and children.

What participants say about the training and the programme:

Doris Vlašić, MA in Psychology, MA in Pedagogy, Center for Social Work Čitluk:

Participation in the Strong Families Programme represents a particularly valuable experience for me. I am especially pleased about the opportunity to bring this important programme closer to young families in Brotnjo and to work together on building stronger, more connected, and supportive families. I believe that participation in the programme will provide many parents with new knowledge, encouragement, a sense of community, and practical tools to help them navigate the everyday challenges of raising children.

Antonija Novak, Director of the Center for Social Work Mostar:

I gladly accepted the invitation to this training, as I believe that every new model of working with families strengthens us within the Center and provides new approaches to addressing family situations. Three groups of four participants from the Center attended this training and will implement the programme. The training was very engaging—I appreciated the combination of workshop-based work and theory, as well as the practical examples that helped us understand how we will apply this in practice.

Anita Begić, Associate Professor at the University of Mostar, Department of Social Work, SPES Center for Children, Youth and Families:

The SPES organization works on the protection of children, youth, and families, and implements many preventive programmes in the local community in the city of Mostar. Therefore, I would like to use the knowledge and experience gained during this three-day training both in my work with students and in practical fieldwork. We often collaborate with religious organizations, family centers, and parish offices, which allows us to easily reach families where the programme can be implemented. The programme is very engaging, creative, and useful.