Frances’ career spans 30 years, researching the development, testing and scaling of parenting interventions for reducing maltreatment and child behaviour problems, Her parenting projects span countries in SE Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, UK, and USA. Her evaluations use methods including randomised trials, systematic reviews, and qualitative studies.

She has published landmark research on the transportability of parenting interventions across cultures and countries, their essential components, and understanding for whom and where parenting interventions are most effective. 

Prof. Gardner has advised WHO & UNICEF, and government ministries in many countries; she led the systematic reviews for the 2023 WHO Guideline on Parenting Interventions, and served on the Guideline expert group; she is a founder member and developer of the PLH programs; she serves on the Board of the US-based Evidence Clearinghouse ‘Blueprints for Heathy Youth Development’.  She has 4 children and lives in Oxford.