Family Futures

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dvancing

ocial

ntegration

and

ntergenerational

olidarity

terms of the responses of families to both changing economic

conditions and household, family structures.

The Turkish Republic Ministry of Family and Social Policy has

initiated many nationwide studies, both on family and on social

issues related to family. These studies have aimed to:

• collect data

• turn the data into information

• publish information for the use of experts, policymakers and

non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

• use the outcomes to constitute social policy.

The Ministry of Family and Social Policy has a duty to conduct

scientific studies on national and international levels. This falls

among its many other duties aimed at identifying social problems

in Turkey as well as formulating their solutions, maintaining the

integrity of families and increasing social welfare in the country.

There is no doubt that these studies make it possible to outline

and understand the transitions that have led to the change in

family structure and to make up new family policies to resolve

the tension stemming from the change and crises.

The first step towards developing a Family Education

Programme was the Study on Family Education Needs Analysis

in 2009. The outcomes of this study were used to construct the

Study on Developing a Curriculum for the Family Education

Programme. Within the context of the Study on Developing a

Curriculum for the Family Education Programme, 23 chapters

in five distinct fields (Family Communication, Health, Finance,

Law and Media) have been developed.

In 2010, family educationmaterials, aimed for the use of partici-

pants, facilitators and trainers in family education were published.

After developing the curriculum and materials, Training the

Trainers of the Family Education Programme began, with training

programmes for 2,000 trainers throughout the country.

The crucial importance of the prenatal period and all the

periods of parenthood for the health, stability and well-being

of all children and adolescents has been confirmed by recent

scientific studies in the fields of medicine, genetics, biology,

sociology and psychology. As a result, parents hold a critical

role and responsibility for the future of their children and

thus for the future of their country. In this respect, one of the

most crucial and potential outcomes of the Family Education

Programme is providing family members with programmes to

help them get ready for parenthood.

Furthermore, the Family Education Programme aims for happy,

healthy and resilient families in general. In order to pursue this,

it aims to help families to benefit more efficiently from services

in education, law, economy, media and health; to functionalize

internal processes such as communication, education, house-

keeping and parenthood within the family; to encourage efficient

management of family resources; and to contribute to preventative

measures against possible risks faced by families.

The Family Education Programme’s 23 chapters and five

sections have been prepared taking into account the basic needs

of all families. The section on Family Communication comprises

of four chapters: ‘First quarter of life (development between 0-18

years)’, ‘Marriage and family life’, ‘Family life skills’ and ‘School

and family’. It aims to approach family life as a whole with an

understanding based on cooperative balance, to provide infor-

mation about problems that can occur in the family life cycle,

to equip individual family members with the appropriate skills

and awareness to help resolve these problems, and to cultivate

preventative and socially constructive practices within the family.

The Law section aims to provide the legal knowledge neces-

sary for the daily life of a family in simple and straightforward

language, which encourages family members to improve their

awareness of their rights and responsibilities. This section

includes five chapters: ‘Legal literacy’, ‘Personal rights’, ‘Family

law’, ‘Business life and law’ and ‘Rights of vulnerable people’.

The five chapters of the Finance section are: ‘Family budget’,

‘Financial literacy’, ‘Energy saving’, ‘Family and shopping’ and

‘Micro-entrepreneurship’. This section aims to equip families

with an awareness about financial mechanisms, to enable them

to use their current financial resources productively and effec-

tively, help them to obtain information about small ventures,

assist them in tracking expenses and spending in accordance

with the family’s needs, and to foster a family lifestyle that relies

on a sustainable environment through frugality.

Through its three chapters: ‘Media literacy’, ‘Understanding

media’ and ‘Conscious use of media’, the Media section aims to

strengthen and equip the intellectual, emotional, aesthetic and

ethical understandings of family members against the side effects

of media. It seeks to help families to use media in the best way

possible and minimize its potential harm through empowering

them with necessary knowledge and skills.

Finally, the Health section aims to protect and improve

family health and quality of life through medical science. It

also aims for a stronger society through improving family

health, fighting diseases, decreasing health costs and increas-

ing productivity. There are six chapters in the section: ‘Health

literacy’, ‘Healthy living and prevention of diseases’, ‘Child

and adolescent health’, ‘Reproductive health and healthy

motherhood’, ‘Geriatrics’ and ‘First aid’.

Family Education Programme training specifically focuses on people who are

married or preparing for marriage

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Cengiz