This paper attempts to raise awareness and stimulate debate about the family as a focus for developing learning in the United Kingdom (U.K.). The discussion focuses on the following aspects of the issue: the nature and scope of family learning; families as a place for learning; context; development of family learning; patterns of provision; provision for family learning in practice; partnerships in family learning; aims and objectives of family learning; principles for supporting family learning; policy and resourcing issues; and the future of family learning. The main recommendations stemming from the discussion are as follows: (1) wider opportunities for family learning, including parent education, should be available to all families; (2) coordination of policy and provision for families is in urgent need of improvement at the national and local levels; (3) television and other media should take a lead in raising the family's learning profile and participation in family learning programs; and (4) the U.K. government should aim to secure adequate funding for family learning so that everyone has access to affordable, appropriate, and effective support at each stage of life. Specific recommendations for 13 different U.K. agencies are also presented. The bibliography contains 11 references. A list of policy working group members concludes the paper. (MN)