Parenting UK is a national membership organisation formed in 1995 for those working with parents. Our strength has always been our members: telling us what's going on at grass roots level, communicating and sharing ideas, concerns and passions. 

Much has changed since 1995: parenting support has never had a higher profile in the national debate and the founding of the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners by Parenting UK, the Family and Parenting Institute and Kings College London was an enormous achievement. The establishment of the Academy was a  huge step along the path towards transforming the quality and size of the parenting workforce across England, so that parents can access the help they need to raise their children well.

In the coming years PUK aims to enable practitioners to deliver better quality parenting support services by promoting membership development and exchange, providing information and support, informing policy makers about the experiences and views of practitioners and emerging need, and promoting high standards of delivery across our membership. 

For more about us view our Timeline or go to Our Work.

Working with Parents
Parenting education and support encompasses a diverse range of learning opportunities and supportive activities. It enables parents, prospective parents and those in a parenting role to improve their understanding of their own and their children's personal, social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs and the context in which family life takes place. This enhances family life and the contribution which families make to society.

Parenting UK Principles
Parenting UK's work is underpinned by a number of core principles summarised below:

• the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• parenting is both a continuous process starting before parenthood and continuing through birth and school to grandparenthood, and an interactive process concerned with the development of the whole person
• cultural diversity and the different needs of men and women must be respected within the context of human rights for all
• bringing up children should be seen in the wider context of health, employment, housing, family income and support services, and non-parental care
• Parenting UK supports a model which promotes respectful and empowering attitudes and which values parents' unique knowledge of their own children.