Doctor article by redhead parent (6)
I believe the answer is:
mother
'parent' is the definition.
(type of parent)
'doctor article by redhead' is the wordplay.
'doctor' becomes 'mo' (medical officer).
'article' becomes 'the' (the definite article in English).
'by' says to put letters next to each other.
'redhead' becomes 'r' (head letter of 'red').
'mo'+'the'+'r'='MOTHER'
(Other definitions for mother that I've seen before include "Fuss over" , "Mum" , "- - 7 across, pantomime" , "Nature so-called" , "Be overprotective" .)