In England, different Labour governments from 1998 to 2010 invested strongly in a diversified range of parenting and family support measures. Key elements of their approach have been continued by subsequent governments. Moreover, governments in other parts of Europe and the wider world are also turning a critical lens on how parents raise and ‘manage’ their children, and asking whether they also need to have parenting and family support policies (Daly et al 2015). The growth of these measures makes for an interesting case study of the engagement of contemporary social policy with parents, children and families.
In this very interesting and important article on an aspect of families and social policy, Mary Daly looks at the rise of ‘parenting support’. She identifies some of the underlying assumptions made about the supposed need for parenting support programmes, linked to certain changes in society. She also points out that, despite being allegedly important for all families, such programmes are often directed at particular types of family: low-income, loneparent and those identified as ‘troubled’. This article is of benefit and relevance to students taking the ‘Family’ option.
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