This article is concerned with parents' experiences and perceptions of being involved in a family literacy programme. The research, which was conducted from November 2007 to July 2009, involved interviewing 101 parents from 74 family literacy programmes in England around 12 weeks after they had completed their courses. The aim of these qualitative interviews was to identify any short- and medium-term benefits, and to assess the impact on their lives. Previous evaluations of FL have mainly focused on children's literacy outcomes, and the article argues that as insiders and consumers of family literacy programmes, parents have the potential to make vital contributions to policy and practice, including the design of future successful programmes. The article shows that there is a whole series of benefits for parents, their children, family and schools. Among these, parents learn to support their children's learning; they place greater value on education and learning and gain a deeper understanding of school systems; they become more interested in developing their own literacy skills; they form social and supportive networks, which are maintained as their children move through the school; and the programmes give parents opportunities for progression to further education and training.