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ParentText Messages Information Sheet and Survey Information Sheet for Parents of Participating Children below 18
Your child has been invited to take part in a study of “ParentText” conducted by the University of Oxford with UNICEF Jamaica, their U-Report Jamaica social messaging service, and their partner the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation. We are doing this study to learn about what it is like for them to receive ParentText messages over WhatsApp.
These messages were developed by Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) with the WHO and UNICEF. The messages and multimedia content were then locally adapted by Parenting Partners Caribbean (PPC) and reviewed by the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC). ParentText is a text messaging service for parents and caregivers of children – and this version is specifically for Women’s Centre students aged 16 to 18.
It is delivered through WhatsApp. Your child will receive daily positive parenting messages in the form of texts, audios, videos, comics, and gifs over 5 weeks or longer depending on the frequency selected by parents. ParentText messages focus on different topics, including building a positive relationship with your child, using praise, setting daily routines, and reducing stress for parents and caregivers.
Additional content includes support for parents of children living with disabilities, child development, online child safety, talking about COVID-19 with children, family budgeting, family harmony, and helping children with schoolwork. ParentText also includes content on sexual violence prevention as well as partner relationships to prevent family violence. Before your child joins study, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
To take part in the study, your child needs to be above 16 and provide consent to confirm that they are willing to take part in the study and stop participating at any time for any (or no) reason.
DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE TO TAKE PART?
Your child does not need to take part in this study. If they decide not to take part, nothing bad will happen to them or their family. They will still receive the text messages if they choose not to answer any questions. They can stop receiving messages at any point by typing STOP MESSAGES.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THEY TAKE PART?
Every week they will be asked questions on how they found the messages and their experiences with parenting. They can skip questions they do not want to answer.
ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS OF TAKING PART?
The programme is designed to improve parents’ well-being and family relationships. Your child may benefit from this programme but there is no guarantee.
CAN YOU AS THEIR PARENT TAKE PART?
A separate version of ParentText is available for non-Women’s Centre students. If you would like to participate simply text the word PARENT to 876-838-4897 (this is the number for U-Report, UNICEF’s social messaging service which is providing ParentText in Jamaica).
ARE THERE ANY RISKS IN TAKING PART?
We do not expect any risks in taking part in this study. If your child becomes upset when answering the questions, they can find local referrals for additional support by typing INFO.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE INFORMATION YOUR CHILD PROVIDES?
All information will be completely private. Only data collected from the surveys about their relationships and experiences with other adults will be completed on an external online site, which means there will be no record of their responses on their phone. Their name and any personal information about your child and your family will NOT appear in any data, publications, or reports. Research data will be stored indefinitely and may be shared with other researchers in the future.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH?
Your child’s participation and any information they provide will help us learn about how to support families like yours better. So that others may learn from this study, we plan on publishing results in academic journals, at conferences, and in policy briefs for governments and other agencies. Your child’s name and personal information will not appear in any reports.
WHO HAS REVIEWED THE STUDY?
This study has received ethical approval from the University of Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee (R69569/RE003).
DATA PROTECTION
The University of Oxford is responsible for ensuring the safe and proper use of any personal information you provide, only for research purposes.
QUESTIONS
Please let us know if you have any question or want to raise a concern, please feel free to contact Dr Jamie Lachman (jamie.lachman@spi.ox.ac.uk; +44 (7) 840 825 892) who is leading this research. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s rights as a study participant, you can contact Dr Charlene Coore Desai (ccoore@unicef.org; +1 876 279 8337), Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Jamaica.
