The Parent Centre (TPC) is a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation , established over 40 years ago. It has grown from a small focused project of Cape Town Child Welfare Society into an organisation acknowledged as a leader in the field of parent-child interventions across the world. The organisation has received endorsements from the Western Cape Department of Social Development, Professor Shanaaz Mathews (Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town) and Associate Professor Simone Honikman (Perinatal Mental Health Project, University of Cape Town), amongst others. TPC is dedicated to healthy child development and the prevention of violence against children, which is in turn linked to the prevention of other social problems, such as mental illness, gender-based violence (GBV), substance abuse, crime, teenage pregnancy and HIV. The Centre's prevention work is focused on empowering parents and caregivers to be confident in their parenting role; to be involved and nurturing parents and caregivers who are able to build positive, loving relationships with their children and manage their children's behaviour effectively and without using violent methods of discipline.

TPC's mission and strategic objectives are to:

• Facilitate the safety and healthy emotional development of children from conception to early adulthood;
• Promote the well-being and self-esteem of parents/caregivers;
• Promote active, involved, and nurturing motherhood and fatherhood;
• Prevent child abuse, victimisation and neglect;
• Enhance children’s capacity to be resilient, caring, competent, and creative members of society;
• Contribute to the prevention of teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, HIV and AIDS and gender-based violence, and;
• Encourage the establishment of a loving, nurturing environment that strengthens the family and society.

These objectives are achieved through:

• Providing the following psycho-social support, parenting information and skills programmes:

i. Parenting and Community Empowerment and Support (PACES) Programme which comprises Parenting Counselling; Positive Parenting Skills Training and Workshops and Fatherhood Training.

ii. Teen Parenting Training. Training of Teenage Parents / Primary-caregivers in schools and communities.

iii. Parent-Infant (First 1000 days) Support Services - which comprises Pregnancy and Early Parenting Clinic Talks; an Antenatal (AN) & Postnatal (PN) Home Visiting Programme (Thula Sana – Adapted) and Zero to Five Counselling.

2. Collaborating with and providing training and ongoing support to other organisations and practitioners who support and work with parents/caregivers.

3. Collaborating with other organisations to provide the children, youth and families whom TPC serves access to essential services and resources e.g. nutrition; financial support; job training; HIV and drug rehabilitation programmes.

4. Disseminating parenting information through mass media (broadcast; print and digital media and public speaking and events).