A Parenting Capacity Assessment is an in-depth report investigating “the ability to parent in a ‘good enough’ manner long term” (Conley, 2003).

According to a survey of practitioners’ perceptions of ‘good enough’ parenting, there are four elements: meeting children’s health and developmental needs, putting children’s needs first, providing routine and consistent care, acknowledging problems and engaging with support services.

From the same survey, risky parenting was associated with: neglecting basic needs; putting adults’ needs first, chaos and lack of routine and an unwillingness to engage with support services.