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Attachment and the Perils of Parenting

by Dr Helen Barrett is now available from the Family and Parenting Institute.
Attachment theory, one of the most controversial areas of development psychology, is the subject of a major new book, Attachment and the Perils of Parenting, from the National Families and Parenting Institute by Dr Helen Barrett, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute. To order a copy of the book, please call 01787 249287 or use the order form on our Publications section.and other issues pertinent to child development and child rearing, please see the links below.

Attachment & Human Development
Vulnerable Children & Youth Studies
Journal of Child Psychotherapy
Infant Observation
Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology

Cultural Competence in Family Support

This Toolkit for working with Black, Minority Ethnic and Faith Families, by Dr. Fatima Husain is now available from the Family and Parenting Institute. The principal research aim of the toolkit was to provide a range of practical tools for practitioners to enhance their work in supporting black, minority, ethnic and faith families. The Toolkit offers sections on a variety of issues of importance for family support, such as culture, discrimination, family and communication. In addition, detailed religious fact sheets are available on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Rastafarianism and Sikhism. For copies and more information, please contact 01787 249287 or email info@familyandparenting.org .

UK Family Trends.

The aim of this study was to consider how family life in the UK might have been changing within the last ten years - covering the decade since the first International Year of the Family in 1994. The report looks at several different aspects of family life: first demographic aspects such as family structure and formation; second, the different parenting roles of mothers and fathers and the relationship between parents and children; and finally, the place of the family in the wider community. The full report, UK Family Trends 1994-2004 can be purchased from the Publications Section of this website.

Supporting disabled adults as parents.

Previous research has shown that local authorities have begun to take seriously the parental responsibilities of disabled adults through the development of policies and protocols. However, practitioners often report a lack of confidence in supporting disabled parents, partly because there can be confusion about whether such support comes under an adult or child social work remit. This is reinforced by the perceived split between those working to children's and adult legislation. This project aimed to provide practitioners with ideas and examples of creative ways of meeting disabled parents' needs. The full report, Think Parent: supporting disabled adults as parents can be purchased from the Publications Section of this website.

Parent Child 2004 Conference.

This international conference was held in London in June and brought together researchers and practitioners from many countries to consider the state of the family today and what the future might hold. Find out more about the research presented at Parent Child 2004 by visiting our events section.

Parenting programmes for families at risk.

At the centre of this project is a compilation of systematic reviews, published between 1995 and 2003, of parenting support, education and training programmes for families at risk. To contextualise the information and to assist readers in navigating their way around the literature in the field, the report includes chapters which outline possible factors associated with families at risk, discuss the theoretical underpinnings of prototypical parenting programmes and provide guidance about some of the basic procedures involved in programme evaluation. The full report, Parenting Programmes for Families at Risk: a source book can be purchased from the Publications Section of this website.

Supporting minority ethnic families.

Support for families and parents is a clear priority for the government but the evidence suggests that minority ethnic groups experience inequality in access to family and parenting services. A new research study looks in detail at British South Asian and Hindu families and combines an overview of previous literature with in depth interviews with family support practitioners working in the area. The full report, Supporting Minority Ethnic Families - South Asian Hindus and Muslims in Britian: developments in family support can be purchased from the PublicationsSection of this website, or download a summary of the research.

Goldman, R. (2005). Fathers' Involvement in their Children's Education:

A Review of Research and Practice. London: National Family and Parenting Institute.
Content from this 2005 report includes thirteen 'good practice' in-depth case studies of schools and family learning providers which successfully have engaged fathers, plus a guide to effective practice and a set of detailed policy recommendations.

Family life and family values: parenting in multi-faith Britain.

This research explored parents' and children's views and experiences of family life in Britain today.

The future of family services

- the results of a national mapping exercise of parenting and family services in England and Wales. Issued as a consultation document in 2001, copies of the complete report can be purchased from the Publications Section of this website or you can download the executive summary here.

Parent Information Point

- a joint project coordinated by the National Family and Parenting Institute working in partnership with The Gulbenkian Foundation. The school-based information sessions for parents were piloted in three areas of the UK and in May 2004 an evaluation of the pilot scheme was published. Visit the PIP website for further information.

Government policy on parenting.

A study, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which reviews government policy on parenting. Written by Clem Henricson, Head of Research and Policy at the NFPI, the report makes the case for a regular policy review and argues the case for a national debate as to whether there should be an official statement of parents' rights and responsibilities. Further information about Government and parenting: is there a case for a policy review and a parents' code can be obtained from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website.

Soaps and the family

Representations of family life in radio and television soap operas, published in Parents' Week 2002. Download the research conclusions here or order a copy using our order form.

Reaching parents: producing and delivering parent information resources

A qualitative research study and practice guide which looks at existing sources of information based support, considers their value and relevance and makes recommendations for future development. Go to our order form to request a copy.

Surveys of parents and young people about parenting issues and family support

Several MORI/NFPI polls have been published (with summaries available to download) and qualitative work with parents is now underway.