Briefing: Crib sheet - Parental support in the NSF

So how does the National Service Framework ensure that parents are involved in their children's health care? What a neat way to introduce standard two, Supporting Parents or Carers. The standard itself reads: "Parents or carers are able to receive the information, services and support that will help them to care for their children and equip them with the skills they need to ensure that their children have optimum life chances and are healthy and safe."

And in real life? Well, if you start with the vision statement, the intention is that parents or carers are confident in their own skills, and thus able to raise their children in a way that promotes positive health and wellbeing. And "parents" can refer to any adult with responsibility for caring for a child or young person. That definition would take in corporate parents and those with responsibility for young offenders (presumably while in custody). It doesn't mention children in immigration detention centres, however.