Benjamin Perks, UNICEF’s Head of Advocacy for Child Development and Protection, joins Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast to make the case that the single most powerful investment a society can make is in the relationship between children and their caregivers.

Drawing on more than three decades of neuroscience, public health, and social science, Perks explains why secure caregiver child attachment is not only the foundation of healthy childhoods but also one of the strongest predictors of lifelong wellbeing, economic productivity, and social stability. When those relationships break down, the costs ripple outward into education systems, health services, labor markets, and criminal justice systems. When they are strengthened, the benefits compound across generations.

At the center of the conversation is the Global Caregiver Forum, an inaugural intergovernmental gathering convened by UNICEF and the World Health Organization with the Government of Spain. Ministers from roughly 25 countries, alongside leading scientists and practitioners, are coming together to accelerate the global scale up of evidence based parenting and caregiver support programs.

Perks describes why these programs represent a breakthrough in public policy. A 2022 WHO led systematic review of more than 435 randomized controlled trials shows that evidence based parenting programs consistently increase nurturing care, reduce violence and maltreatment, improve children’s developmental outcomes, and significantly improve parental mental health. In other words, they deliver on child protection, early learning, and adult wellbeing at the same time.

The discussion moves from science to systems. Today, only about one quarter of countries report having widely available parenting programs, even though the interventions are relatively low cost and highly scalable. Perks explains how UNICEF and partners are working to build the global architecture needed to change that, including common frameworks, measurement tools, and coverage indicators similar to those used for vaccines and other public health interventions.

A critical theme is the return on investment. While the largest gains of early childhood support appear over decades, Perks points to growing evidence that parenting programs also generate benefits within political and budget cycles. These include reductions in low birth weight, fewer child placements in institutional care, better parental mental health, and lower productivity losses, all of which translate into tangible fiscal savings for governments.

Listeners also hear what modern caregiver support actually looks like. All families have access to support, with additional intensity for those facing higher risks due to poverty, trauma, or mental health challenges. Delivery channels range from home visiting and health systems to community hubs and digital tools, all adapted to local culture and context.

Beyond the forum, Perks reflects on a broader shift underway in global child policy. Too often, governments are presented with long lists of disconnected reforms. He argues that real progress requires focusing on a small number of interventions that are scientifically proven, politically feasible, and capable of driving multiple outcomes at once. Parenting programs and universal access to quality early childhood education sit at the top of that list.

The conversation also touches on the newly established International Day of Play, a United Nations observance led by UNICEF and UNESCO. Perks explains why play is not a luxury but a biological and social necessity that underpins learning, creativity, resilience, and human connection across the life course.

The episode closes with a powerful reminder. In a world marked by polarization and instability, the science of child development offers something rare: a practical, evidence based pathway to improve human wellbeing at scale. By investing in caregiving, attachment, and play, societies have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent trauma, and give every child the chance to grow up safe, loved, and nurtured.

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Benjamin Perks, UNICEF's Head of Advocacy Child Development & Protection on the Global Caregiver Forum and the Science of Nurturing Care