Public Values of Parenting and Partnering: Voluntary Organizations and Welfare Politics in New Labour's Britain

This article provides an analysis of the values associated with parenting and partnering, comparing those of New Labour with those of national voluntary organizations. It begins with an analysis of New Labour's policies around parenting and partnering, explaining the new salience that voluntary organizations have acquired under New Labour governance. It then draws on a qualitative study to provide an analysis of three main value discourses around welfare articulated by national voluntary organizations: welfare as care and well-being, welfare as social justice and equality, and welfare as social investment and then discusses the challenges these pose to New Labour.