What's really going on? : parents' views of parent support in three Australian supported playgroups

Supported playgroups are a dual-focus service model used widely in Australia to provide stimulating early childhood environments for children and support for their parents. This article discusses some of the findings from a recent qualitative doctoral study that explored three supported playgroups in western Sydney. In particular, it articulates what parents experienced as support in this context through the identification and discussion of eight categories of parent support: friendship and social network support; relational support; peer support; emotional support; parenting role support; information and resource support; 'circle of care' support; and multidisciplinary support.