The EUSPR conference 2023 was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It covered a wide array of topics, but the main theme was improving prevention infrastructure. We heard about optimising online parenting interventions, parenting in crisis and the prevention of child sexual abuse. Parenting in a crisis was most striking, as The Department of Social Policy and Intervention, at the University of Oxford, are working hard to provide parenting support for families in Myanmar, as well as Nicole Baldonado presented her work with HOPE, a support group for Ukrainian Women Refugees.
The key message from the conference was that prevention science needs to be translated for the public and for stakeholders for it to have an impact beyond research. We can support this by working closely with community services and communities themselves to understand their needs and restraints. CEBEI promotes this key message by building relationships and collaborating with local primary schools and non-NHS parental services, like Flying Start and Barnardo’s. Rebecca Lothian presented her work on implementing the Books Together programme through teaching assistants, in North Wales Primary Schools. For this, Rebecca won the award for Best Presentation for Early Career Researchers. Lauren King presented a poster on her online adaptation of the Books Together programme for parents. Rebecca Lothian, Jessica Lothian and Lauren King attended the conference but took some time to enjoy local delights such as Burek, Baklava, Bosnian Coffee and a EUSPR arranged tour of Sarajevo.