Dialogical Spaces to Reconceptualize Parent Support in the Social Investment State

Abstract

The study from which this article derives investigated some dominant assumptions of parent support policies and programmes, and suggests new possibilities for the conceptualization of the relations between parents and such policies, inspired by the possibilities of dialogical spaces and ‘relational citizenship’. Parent support programmes are increasingly conceptualized within a prevention paradigm, underpinning the individualization of social problems in the social investment state. Early childhood is consequently instrumentalized as the place where early socialization needs to be shaped. In this vein, socialization is understood as the adaptation of children as well as their parents to the prevailing societal norms and values. In an action research project involving researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the city of Brussels (Belgium), the authors explored new possibilities in understanding and conceptualizing work with parents of young children. The project consisted of three parts: the creation of a dialogical space where practitioners and policy makers discussed research, policy and practice; a survey of the parenting conditions in Brussels; and the exploration of the possibilities for new initiatives for parents and children, with a focus on social support. The focus in this article is on a report of the second component (the study), however, elements of the first and third components are included to highlight the dialogical dimensions of the project and possible future developments.