Increasingly, parenting practitioners are seen as part of an emerging 'parenting profession', and are expected to meet high standards of training and quality.
Despite this, there is still a great variation in the quantity and in the quality of support available to parents. Services differ from one area to another and between different practitioners.
In 2006, the Government announced its plan to establish a National Academy for Parenting Practitioners. It wanted the Academy to be a national centre for excellence in parenting, and for it to be responsible for driving up the standard of parenting services.
We recognise that many parenting practitioners already have valuable skills, based on their training and experience from related sectors. We want to build on these skills, to share best practice and ensure that all practitioners are appropriately trained to work with parents.
Our initial priorities are to gain a better picture of approaches that currently exist across England, to meet immediate training needs, and to bring together current knowledge of what works best.
We will then develop our training programme to meet the sector’s needs and reflect the latest research findings, instilling a culture of continual learning and development in the parenting profession.
Our Summary report in support of strategy development examines how current local practice relates to the national aims for parenting support. The report highlights the local drivers, priorities and circumstances of the parenting workforce, and its findings will help shape the Academy's strategic plan 2008-2010.