Parenting is attracting more professional and political attention now than ever before. More and more parents need the support of others to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to choose what would be best for their children. A variety of professionals are often involved in contributing to the assessment of parenting and/or setting up programmes for enhancing it. This important guide provides practical information for setting up assessment and parenting programmes for a range of professionals, dealing with parenting issues in historical, socio--economic, gender and ethnic contexts. In this comprehensive book, a team of multi--disciplinary experts offers practical solutions to a variety of challenges faced by parents, and professionals devoted to helping the parents. The chapters explore parenting in relation to common, specific problems such as, hyperactivity in children, behaviour problems, learning difficulties, and stepfamily situations. Enhancing Parenting Skills is essential reading for a range of professionals, including health visitors, social workers, psychologists, probation officers, education welfare officers, teachers, general practitioners and paediatricians. It is also a useful text for students on professional courses such as Social Work, Family Therapy, and Family and Education.