Parent Partnership in the Early Years

Parent Partnership in the Early Years. By Damien Fitzgerald. (Continuum, ISBN 0826466443, 34.99, 020 7922 0880)

Reviewed by Jennie Lindon, child psychologist and early years consultant There are some good ideas in this slim volume. Partnership with parents is now regarded as integral to good practice in early years settings, and not as an optional extra. The author offers ideas on models of partnership, how professional attitudes shape actual practice and the importance of two-way communication. There are useful sections, for instance about ways to ensure that 'parents' genuinely includes fathers, and helpful steps to resolve conflict situations.

The author brings in a wealth of academic references as well as practical material. These may help readers who use Parent Partnership to support their study. However, some sections of the book are an uneasy blend of directing readers towards research, and offering practical advice. It is hard to make sense of short statements about the documented benefits of 'higher levels of involvement' without more detail about what exactly happened. There are many useful scenarios that demonstrate that such shorthand terms translate into very different experiences for parents, depending on the outlook and actions of early years practitioners.