Parenting is a way of handing over the baton from one generation to the next. It is through good positive parenting, that children learn to be empathic, kind, and of good moral character. The children we are rearing today, will be the workers of the next generation. Secure children do better at school, and promote good leadership, self confidence and social competence in problem solving. The way children are brought up, will also have a great influence on their choice of partner and on the kind of family they would dream of building.

Parenting, therefore, carries great responsibility and is indispensable for each and everyone’s wellbeing and also that of society at large. Nevertheless, parenting is also demanding in many ways and parents have to cope with a number of challenges when rearing their children. These challenges mainly revolve around the ability of the parents to give priority to the children’s best interests, as they build positive and secure relationships with them, relationships which are free from violence and which are conducive to their optimum development. These warm relationships need to extend to the other members of the family as well thus helping children grow in a nurturing environment, in a context where both parents see themselves as equal and able to balance work and family life, in order to be able to participate in the upbringing of their children. Other challenges include economic pressures that a number of parents face, which make it even harder for them to cope with the stressors of parenting.

It is for this reason that as a Ministry, we are strongly committed on supporting parents in their endeavours. Whilst recognising the importance that the Convention on the Rights of the Child gives to the family in terms of child wellbeing, the National Strategic Policy for Positive Parenting 2018-2024 further aims to give children and parents a voice, and accompanies them at every stage of the family life cycle.

As can be seen from the report being presented, we are starting our support right from the beginning by intervening during the perinatal period, when parents are expecting a baby, and in the postnatal period. Building on the sound existing infrastructure within the Health Service, the well-being of the baby and that of the parents is further enhanced by offering therapeutic support to mothers and fathers, who may be experiencing mental health difficulties. We are also supporting the relational wellbeing of the couple in situations, where the parents are experiencing couple distress. Our strategy seeks to support parents wherever they are in their stage of rearing their children and as early as possible. This strategy is also being implemented in conjunction with the National Strategic Policy for Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion (2014-2024) and gives priority to those parents who are hard to reach.

I would like here to thank the interministerial Taskforce in charge of the implementation of the Positive Parenting Strategy for their work in these last four years. Despite the challenges that they faced related to the COVID-19 pandemic, they continued with their work online and in hybrid form. Indeed, the pandemic made it even clearer for all of us to appreciate, how crucial parents are for their children and how vital support is for the parents, especially when they are going through a critical situation. I augur that this sterling work continues with vigour, with the collaboration of the professionals in the field, and with that of the parents and the children themselves. It is only when we work as a team that we can achieve great things!