The 'Irie Homes Toolbox': Development and Evaluation

We plan to develop and evaluate the ‘Irie Homes Toolbox’: a combined violence prevention and early stimulation intervention that will be delivered by preschool teachers in community preschools to parents of young children. The intervention aims to reduce child abuse and neglect and to promote positive parent-child interaction and stimulation in the home. It will include content related to child behaviour management, child-directed play and interactive book reading. The intervention will target parents of children in preschool and will include content relevant for the preschool child and their younger siblings. Preschool teachers, who have been previously trained in the ‘Irie Classroom Toolbox’ will deliver the intervention to parents thus promoting a coordinated approach between school and home. The intervention is low cost, integrated into the existing educational system at the community level and is delivered by existing staff so it should be feasible and sustainable at scale.