Table 1.

Integration of top-down and bottom-up approaches to parental engagement.

		Resource intensive	Resource light	Considerations
Macro level – national system		Specific programmes of support built to help TDEs effectively engage with parents.	Wider promotion of the role of the parent in sport at the national level. Development of platform to guide parental engagement in and out of talent systems.	Must recognize the dilemmas of practice at the micro level. To offer value, needs to be age, stage and context appropriate. Overly restrictive and resource intensive approaches have potential to overly constrain meso/micro practice.
Meso level–academy		Individual and bespoke parental engagement featured as part of all communications. Psychologist resource allocated to parents based on need.	Develop parent knowledge of talent development through ongoing workshops and communication (e.g., newsletters etc).	For optimal effect, needs to be coherent with macro/micro. Needs to be evidence informed and context specific.
Micro level–the triad		Planning for messaging and interaction with and through parents. Coaches engage in frequent, robust and open communication with parents.	Inviting parents to workshops and review meetings. Frequent generic communication (e.g., email, use of social media).	Cannot take up too much time to the detriment of other factors. Needs strong coach knowledge of individual triadic context and of effective TD parenting. Coaches feed in to meso level the typical challenges being faced.