Andrew Bainham is a Fellow of Christ's College,Cambridge and Reader in Family Law and Policy at the University of Cambridge. Shelley Day Sclater is a Reader in Psycho-Social Studies at the University of East London and co-director of the Centre for Narrative Research. Martin Richards is Emeritus Professor of Family Research at the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge.

• Part 1 Defining parenthood: parentage, parenthood and parental responsibility - subtle, elusive yet important distinctions, Andrew Bainham; a biomedical perspective on parenthood, Martin Johnson; assisted reproduction and the legal definition of parentage, Stuart Bridge; the welfare principle and the rights of parents, Jonathan Herring; familiy or familiarity?, Juliet Mitchell and Jack Goody. Part 2 New issues in contemporary parenting: donating parenthood - perspectives on parenthood from surrogacy and gamete donation, Rachel Cook; unmarried fathers and the law, Ros Pickford; lesbian mother families, Susan Golombok; parents - a children's perspective, Allison James; state intervention and parental autonomy in children's cases - have we got the balance right?, Bridget Lindley; youth crime and parental responsibility, Loraine Gelsthorpe. Part 3 Parenting post-divorce: the parent-child relationship in later life - the longer-term effects of parental divorce and remarriage, Wendy Solomou, Margaret Ely, Carol Brayne and Felicia A. Huppert; parents and divorce - changing patterns of public intervention, Mavis MacLean and Martin Richards; the psycho-politics of post-divorce parenting, Shelley Day Sclater and Candida Yates.

It is important to acknowledge the centrality of the central premise of this book. We can no longer assume that there is unanimity on what or who is a parent. 'Family' arrangements continue to diversify and all those involved in working with men, women and children need to be aware of the potential legal, social and psychological ramifications. Brid Featherstone Child and Family Social Work September 2002 Many of the chapters in this book offer new insights into the nature and practices of parenting and others provide useful reviews and syntheses on existing researchthis is a book that will be of interest to students and researchers focusing on the family in the fields of law, sociology and psychology. Felicity Kaganas Social and Legal Studies September 2002

Andrew Bainham is a Fellow of Christ's College,Cambridge and Reader in Family Law and Policy at the University of Cambridge. Shelley Day Sclater is a Reader in Psycho-Social Studies at the University of East London and co-director of the Centre for Narrative Research. Martin Richards is Emeritus Professor of Family Research at the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge.

• Part 1 Defining parenthood: parentage, parenthood and parental responsibility - subtle, elusive yet important distinctions, Andrew Bainham; a biomedical perspective on parenthood, Martin Johnson; assisted reproduction and the legal definition of parentage, Stuart Bridge; the welfare principle and the rights of parents, Jonathan Herring; familiy or familiarity?, Juliet Mitchell and Jack Goody. Part 2 New issues in contemporary parenting: donating parenthood - perspectives on parenthood from surrogacy and gamete donation, Rachel Cook; unmarried fathers and the law, Ros Pickford; lesbian mother families, Susan Golombok; parents - a children's perspective, Allison James; state intervention and parental autonomy in children's cases - have we got the balance right?, Bridget Lindley; youth crime and parental responsibility, Loraine Gelsthorpe. Part 3 Parenting post-divorce: the parent-child relationship in later life - the longer-term effects of parental divorce and remarriage, Wendy Solomou, Margaret Ely, Carol Brayne and Felicia A. Huppert; parents and divorce - changing patterns of public intervention, Mavis MacLean and Martin Richards; the psycho-politics of post-divorce parenting, Shelley Day Sclater and Candida Yates.

It is important to acknowledge the centrality of the central premise of this book. We can no longer assume that there is unanimity on what or who is a parent. 'Family' arrangements continue to diversify and all those involved in working with men, women and children need to be aware of the potential legal, social and psychological ramifications. Brid Featherstone Child and Family Social Work September 2002 Many of the chapters in this book offer new insights into the nature and practices of parenting and others provide useful reviews and syntheses on existing researchthis is a book that will be of interest to students and researchers focusing on the family in the fields of law, sociology and psychology. Felicity Kaganas Social and Legal Studies September 2002

Andrew Bainham is a Fellow of Christ's College,Cambridge and Reader in Family Law and Policy at the University of Cambridge. Shelley Day Sclater is a Reader in Psycho-Social Studies at the University of East London and co-director of the Centre for Narrative Research. Martin Richards is Emeritus Professor of Family Research at the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge.

• Part 1 Defining parenthood: parentage, parenthood and parental responsibility - subtle, elusive yet important distinctions, Andrew Bainham; a biomedical perspective on parenthood, Martin Johnson; assisted reproduction and the legal definition of parentage, Stuart Bridge; the welfare principle and the rights of parents, Jonathan Herring; familiy or familiarity?, Juliet Mitchell and Jack Goody. Part 2 New issues in contemporary parenting: donating parenthood - perspectives on parenthood from surrogacy and gamete donation, Rachel Cook; unmarried fathers and the law, Ros Pickford; lesbian mother families, Susan Golombok; parents - a children's perspective, Allison James; state intervention and parental autonomy in children's cases - have we got the balance right?, Bridget Lindley; youth crime and parental responsibility, Loraine Gelsthorpe. Part 3 Parenting post-divorce: the parent-child relationship in later life - the longer-term effects of parental divorce and remarriage, Wendy Solomou, Margaret Ely, Carol Brayne and Felicia A. Huppert; parents and divorce - changing patterns of public intervention, Mavis MacLean and Martin Richards; the psycho-politics of post-divorce parenting, Shelley Day Sclater and Candida Yates.

It is important to acknowledge the centrality of the central premise of this book. We can no longer assume that there is unanimity on what or who is a parent. 'Family' arrangements continue to diversify and all those involved in working with men, women and children need to be aware of the potential legal, social and psychological ramifications. Brid Featherstone Child and Family Social Work September 2002 Many of the chapters in this book offer new insights into the nature and practices of parenting and others provide useful reviews and syntheses on existing researchthis is a book that will be of interest to students and researchers focusing on the family in the fields of law, sociology and psychology. Felicity Kaganas Social and Legal Studies September 2002