New Parenting Support Policies in European Welfare States

Children have become a focal point of debates on ‘new social risks’ and ‘new public policies’ in European welfare states. Policymakers and experts have converged in defining such risks, engaged in mutual policy learning and outlined measures to better safeguard children, activate their potential, promote their well-being and ensure equal opportunities. As a consequence, we witness a (renewed) ‘turn to parenting’: new policies and interventions are increasingly targeting parents and intervening into parental behavior. Parenting is seen (again) as key in promoting and reinforcing good performance of children in highly competitive, open societies. Our contribution presents findings of a comparative research project which investigates the ‘turn to parenting’, its (different) configurations and ambiguous impacts for parents and for professionals working with parents in England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.