Key Concepts of Parenting Support in France and Germany

Abstract

This article is the result of a comparative analysis of parenting support programmes in Germany and in France. Parenting support covers actions undertaken in order to help parents cope with their parental functions. It does not include financial support policies. The research has been conducted simultaneously in the two countries, by two researchers following a common pattern. This included an overview of the institutional framework and the parenting support programmes run by different kinds of organisations at different levels, and a review of available research findings and assessments of these programmes. The results show that the number and variety of parenting support programmes are growing rapidly in both Germany and France. However, the approaches differ: German programmes are often presented as "parents' education", whereas in France, the parents themselves are considered to be the best experts in educating their children. In France, parents are often just given individual advice either by other parents or by professional experts, while in Germany, said programmes tend to resemble training programmes including behavioural learning methods.