In this unit we look at the notion of parents as partners. We identify a cluster of reasons why partnership is considered important - for children, parents and practitioners - and give examples of ways in which it can be interpreted in practice. We also outline a conceptual framework to accommodate the possible range of parental involvement and partnership practice. This study unit is just one of many that can be found on LearningSpace, part of OpenLearn, a collection of open educational resources from The Open University. Published in ePub 2.0.1 format, some feature such as audio, video and linked PDF are not supported by all ePub readers.