The Council of Europe has successfully completed the piloting of the "Positive Parenting" programme in various institutions including the Special Penitentiary Service, the National Crime Prevention and Probation Agency, the Juvenile Referral Centre, the State Care Agency, and Office of the Resource Officers of Educational Institutions.

The programme was developed in collaboration with the Resocialisation-Rehabilitation Department of Convicts of the Special Penitentiary Service, as part of the 2022-2023 action plan of the National Strategy for the Prevention of Drug Abuse.

The goal of the programme is to educate both women and men who are incarcerated on the principles and significance of positive parenting, a powerful tool for creating a protective environment for children and young people and thus contributing to drug use prevention. The curriculum covers parenting fundamentals, styles, effective and co-operative parent-child relationships, stages of child development, strategies for managing challenging behaviours, and effective parenting techniques. Upon completion, parents who are incarcerated will be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to build positive relationships with their children and practice effective parenting.

Participants gave the programme positive reviews. One person from the 15th Penitentiary Institution of Ksani stated, "I always knew family was important, but this course showed me that it is twice as important for children. It should be available to everyone, as it would benefit all parents and future parents". Another participant from the 5th institution for women in Rustavi shared, "I have one teenage child. Thanks to the programme, our relationship has improved. Now I understand their emotions better."

The next phase involves evaluating the pilot programme's effectiveness through focus groups, revising the programme, publishing support materials for parents, creating a facilitator's manual (handbook), and training specialist trainers for further implementation and upscaling.

The Positive Parenting programme is part of the Council of Europe project "Support for Penitentiary System Reforms in Georgia," under the Pompidou Group component. It is financed by the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2024-2027.