Good parenting is at the heart of children's wellbeing and development. In everyday life, and in times of need, parents may seek support and advice from a variety of sources: books, friends, maybe their own parents. Some will seek the support of parenting practitioners.
A parenting practitioner is someone who works directly with parents, in a paid or voluntary capacity, to offer support and information about bringing up their children.
Parenting practitioners work in a wide range of occupations and include health visitors, clinical psychologists, family therapists, childcare providers, social workers, nurses, counsellors, housing workers and many others. Some parenting practitioners are in roles dedicated to parenting support, such as parent liaison officers, home-school support advisors, parenting group leader/facilitators, parenting support home visitors, family support workers and parenting workers.
Others may work with parents on other issues, such as physical and mental health, disability, substance abuse, family conflict, housing or employment. Although not their prime responsibility, offering support and advice on parenting often falls within their remit.
Wherever they come from, what makes all these different people parenting practitioners is that they work with parents specifically around the parent-child relationship.