Parenting support in Europe's north: How is it understood and evaluated in research?

Parenting support in the Nordic countries builds upon a century-long tradition of controls and services run by municipalities and county councils (Danielsen and Mühleisen, 2009; Hagelund, 2008; Lundqvist, 2015). However, with the introduction of structured parental guidance programmes from the 1990s onward (mainly based on research insights and experiences from the US and UK), new elements have been added to the former policy legacy (Lundqvist, 2015). This article outlines central issues from research into the provision of parenting support in the Nordic context. The field of parenting support engages researchers from very different disciplines (psychology, pedagogy, and social sciences) with correspondingly distinct research interests. The article outlines the current state of research into parenting support within the Nordic countries, and discusses the need for further research. However, first, there is a need to summarise the similarities and differences between how parenting support is conceptualised in the Nordic countries.