On April 24, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development in collaboration with UNICEF, the Ministry of Health, and Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), launched the Integrated Childcare Advisory Package (ICCAP) at Zilukha Middle Secondary School, Thimphu.
The event was graced by the Hon’ble Minister for Education and Skills Development, the Hon’ble Minister of Health, the UNICEF Representative, and the CEO of BBS.
The launch brought together around 300 participants, including parliamentarians, government leaders, educators, health professionals, parents, children, and partners, underscoring the national commitment to strengthening parenting and childcare practices in Bhutan.
Addressing the launch, the Education Lyonpo emphasised that education begins at home, positioning ICCAP as a natural extension of Bhutan’s holistic education vision.
The Minister of Health highlighted ICCAP as a transformative shift in public health, harmonizing guidance on nutrition, mental wellbeing, protection, and digital safety.
The UNICEF Representative noted the growing pressures on parents and children, stressing that ICCAP responds directly to these challenges with practical and supportive guidance.
The day also featured experience sharing by parents and children and screening of the Child Mandala video reinforcing a collective commitment to child wellbeing.
Bhutan has made remarkable progress in health and education; however, persistent challenges remain, including rising mental health concerns and family stress, a high prevalence of physical punishment and harmful disciplinary practices, nutritional vulnerabilities such as anaemia and vitamin deficiencies, gaps in early childhood development and stimulation and emerging risks in the digital landscape.
ICCAP aims to address these issues by promoting positive child care practices, emotional wellbeing, shared caregiving responsibility, and consistent parenting support across health services, schools, ECCDs, community platforms, and national media.
The ICCAP will be implemented through integration into health services via MSTF-CBSS and VHW platforms, school-based programmes such as ECCDs, school health, wellbeing, counselling and parent–teacher forums; TV and radio initiatives such as the “Parenting with a Purpose” campaign, and social media platforms.
The implementation is expected to reduce violence, improve nutrition and mental health, increase knowledge and confidence among parents and caregivers in positive childcare practices, strengthen coordination and return on investment across sectors and ensure higher uptake of parenting programmes.
The launch of ICCAP marks a milestone in Bhutan’s vision of harmonising childcare practices and building resilient families. By embedding parenting support into every system that touches a child’s life, Bhutan reaffirms that “the happiness of Bhutan begins with its children.”
The ICCAP is online at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vnZwmx_1xFy04mAWS-RVttqRYHPCzS6C/view?usp=sharing
