This introduction presents a general overview of the regulations, policies, programmes and actions which currently exist in Spain within the field of positive parenting. The articles featured in this special issue showcase initiatives aimed at fostering child development through the promotion of parenting competences and family support. They are…

The aim of this paper was to compare the recruitment strategies of two recent studies that focused on the parental influences on childhood obesity during the preschool years. The first study was a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition?…?Do It! 2-4 obesity prevention programme and the second was a longitudinal cohort…

Provides impressionistic reflection of how human service agencies in San Jose, California have helped refugee families from war-torn Cambodia and Bosnia. Summarizes some of the lessons learned from working with refugee families. Notes that the experiences have influenced the capacity- building, empowering, and mentoring aspects of a new…

The Family Development Research Program (FDRP) was begun as an omnibus effort to serve low-income, low-education families by providing education, nutrition, health, safety, and human service resources for the 108 families initially recruited. Very deprived families were recruited early in the last trimester of pregnancy. All the families had an…

Describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of Project Literacy Education and Families (LEAF), a family literacy program that provides experiences for parents to develop their skills and confidence that will enable them to see possibilities instead of limitations. Details four Program components: adult literacy, early childhood…

Describes the Support at Home for Early Language and Literacies (SHELLS) project, an early literacy intervention for families of children between birth and age 3 in rural Australia. Findings from monitoring suggest that this collaborative, flexible model has the potential to assist families from a range of social, cultural, economic, and…

Examines drug-prevention programs in the United Kingdom and the United States which have included parents within their intervention strategies. Reviews implications for practice, describes a small number of model programs, and identifies critical issues for policy and practice regarding identifying, recruiting, and retaining parents within the…