Meeting places for children and parents

Parenting support has been placed on the political agenda in Europe for the last decade (OECD, 2008, 2009 ; Eurofund, 2011). But a close look to the major discourse can reveal that the interest is very often linked to a compensatory vision of a so-called « deficiency » on behalf of some parents (social control). The symposium has proposed to explore the notion of « meeting places for children and parents » : their characteristics, the driven goals, the values shared by professionals . These places where parents can share « hic et nunc » their own experiences and expertise as parents (not in a preventive purpose) are considered as possible ways of questioning the compensatory approach.
Characteristics of meeting places as learning communities have been displayed through a presentation of inspiring practices from different contexts: Italy, Flanders and Federation Wallonia-Brussels.
Informal social networks among parents and children are an important source of parental support. Meeting places are settings where such informal networks and social cohesion are facilitated among families with diverse backgrounds. The staff (both professionals and volunteers) plays an important role in facilitating the informal contacts between parents and children. Their role as a “host” (instead of being pedagogical experts) demands specific individual competences and systemic conditions.