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91 Harnessing the power of expert parents: pathways to scale for early care and support for young children with developmental disabilities

bmjpo · 2026-07-14 · canonical JSON source

4 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Background and Objectives Globally, 53 million children under five live with developmental disabilities, mostly in low-income countries with limited access to services. Baby Ubuntu is an 11-module group programme co-facilitated by expert caregivers and healthcare providers. It promotes inclusion and participation, maximising development, health and quality of life, promoting caregiver empowerment through peer support and information sharing, addressing stigma and promoting child human rights. We aim to synthesize the programme’s evidence base on successful implementation using WHO building blocks as framework.Methods Baby Ubuntu draws on mixed-method evaluations, feasibility trials, economic evaluation, and an ongoing cluster randomized trial. Evidence shows feasibility, acceptability, and positive impacts on caregiver knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Using WHO Health Systems Building Blocks, we share key research findings on successful, sustainable implementation.Results Successful implementation requires local ownership through stakeholder engagement (leadership and governance); blended funding for scale-up (financing); integration within community health systems to support accessibility and acceptability (service delivery); tiered training and mentorship for fidelity (human resources); routine monitoring systems for data collection and sharing (information systems); and addressing gender, stigma, and poverty barriers while engaging families and communities to transform beliefs about disability (family and community).Conclusions Integrated, inclusive approaches to early child disability must align with broader ECD initiatives and health policies. Baby Ubuntu offers evidence-based, low-cost, community-based solution to improve care and inclusion for millions of disabled children in low- and middle-income countries, ensuring no child is left behind.