21 November 2006
Being a parent is hard work and some families need extra help, Tony Blair has said. The PM’s comments in The Sun come as the Government announces a new national network of parenting experts who will help mums and dads raise their children.
- Read the original in The Sun (opens in new window)
- See our Respect section
- Question the children’s minister
Read the article in full
I mentioned recently that the commonest thing said to me by the public is that they wouldn’t have my job for the world.
But the toughest thing anyone faces in their personal life is bringing up a child.
It’s rewarding. Wonderful. But also, at times, painful, frustrating and demoralising. Being a parent is hard. And, of course, most of us have to just get on and do it.
But there are some families who can’t cope with it. That’s a fact. It doesn’t much matter whether it’s their ‘fault’ or not. The fact is when they don’t cope, the children suffer and then we all suffer.
Government can’t solve this problem on its own. But it can provide pressure and support. Pressure in making parents responsible for their child’s anti-social behaviour. Support in using a range of people to show them it can be better.
The ‘nanny state’ argument applied to this is just rubbish. No one’s talking about interfering with normal family life.
But life isn’t normal if you’ve got 12-year-olds out every night, drinking and creating a nuisance on the street, with their parents either not knowing or not caring
In these circumstances, a bit of nannying, with sticks and carrots, is what the local community needs, let alone the child.
The cost to society of a child going off the rails can run into tens of thousands of pounds by the time they are 18 just in police, court and the time of other agencies.
Communities count the cost in hooliganism, petty crime and out-of-control gangs terrorising neighbourhoods and other children. The cost to the child, however, in lost opportunities and problems in later life can be incalculable.
It’s why the public believes that better parenting is the main key to reducing crime and disorder in our communities. It’s also why overwhelming majority of parents say they would welcome outside help in dealing with difficulties with their children
This should be no surprise given the huge popularity of all those television programmes in which experts help parents with their problem kids.
So I don’t believe any Government - and particularly one determined to tackle anti-social behaviour - can ignore the cry for help from parents. We can also point to the success already of parenting courses in giving mothers and father new skills and confidence.
So today we are announcing new help for families with difficulties through a nationwide network of parenting experts.
They will be able to step in - either through one-to-one support or in group sessions - to offer a helping hand to parents who are beginning to struggle with their children before the problems get out of hand.
We have ear-marked an extra £4 million to appoint these parenting experts in 77 areas across England as a first step.
It’s other parents, of course, who are likely to be first people we turn to when we have problems with our children. After all, they have usually gone through the same challenges and tantrums.
So the Government is also publishing a booklet of parenting hints written - not by ministers or experts - but by parents themselves. All parents know how difficult the job is. That’s why most parents are only to happy to know that help is around.
It would be great, of course, if we didn’t need to provide any help. It’s simply not sensible, however, to ignore the fact that help is needed.
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