Interventions with families: preparing the way for teaching parenting skills

The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to consider an ecological model of the system network of any one family, and the idea of intervention as education, prevention and support. A community approach of primary prevention, secondary prevention and administrative action is outlined. Secondly, briefly to consider whether the study of dysfunctional families and intervention with referred families has provided us with guidelines for necessary parenting skills for functioning family living; assumptions about whether such skills can be taught; and, at what stage of the family life cycle, in what context and by whom such enabling teaching takes place.