The International Journal of Birth and Parent Education (IJBPE) aims to establish meaningful links between research, current knowledge and understanding, and the work of practitioners in the field of parent education and support across the world. The IJBPE also seeks to reflect and share the excitement and importance of working with mothers, fathers, kinship carers, co-parents and families in the earliest years of their children’s lives. It recognises the inter-disciplinary nature of the early intervention agenda across the transition to parenthood. This is reflected in articles written by a range of experts including psychologists, anthropologists, paediatricians, health visitors, midwives, neuroscientists, sociologists and birth and parent educators. The role and importance of peer-support organisations is fully acknowledged. The IJBPE aims to encourage the cross-fertilisation of ideas and practice between the statutory sectors and the third sector. The IJBPE encourages practitioners to develop a critical relationship with parent education and support programmes, and values their contributions to refining existing programmes. As a result of reading the IJBPE, practitioners will grow in confidence and ability to work in the field of parent education and support, and see themselves as part of a community building new knowledge and expertise. The IJBPE seeks to ensure that there is no gulf between theory and practice. It seeks to help all practitioners acquire an accurate, up-to-date knowledge-base, and learn about proven strategies for helping new mothers and fathers be the parents they aspire to be.
