ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the complexity of early years' work, particularly with vulnerable families in a context of early intervention within mainstream services, and it clearly defines the concepts of felt, expressed, and normative needs in theoretical and practical terms. It describes the development of the therapeutic relationship as a medium to support change and development of parenting skills so that a child may experience a positive childhood within a birth family culture. The context of child protection imposes parameters upon relationships between parents as service-users and an integrated team as the service-provider. A lack of a quality-assurance system which considers the parent-professional relationship suggests a potential difficulty in evaluating inter-personal skills to a standard. The parent-professional relationship was subsequently created in a context subject to legislation and formal parameters. The parent-professional relationship is significant within a context of child protection as a medium which contributes to re-formation of a parent's understanding of self.
