Parents 'fear asking for support'

The charity's posters urge parents to ask for help if they need it

Many parents are too scared to access support services in case they are seen as "doing a bad job", a report by charity Parentline Plus has warned.

It has launched a "Just Ask" campaign, after concerns parents only requested help when they reached "crisis point".

Parentline wants the Children Act to be amended so parents can decide when they have their support needs assessed.

Last year it took 100,000 calls from parents concerned about issues ranging from bullying to underage sex.

Children's behaviour

Most of those who rang said that their children's behaviour was the biggest problem.

But the charity said because parenting is "so private and intimate" parents were unwilling to admit publicly how difficult it can be.

"As a result, many feel unable to ask for help which could make significant improvements to their lives and the lives of their children," the report said.

The charity said it produced the report Parenting Behind Closed Doors after wide consultation with hundreds of parents.

Parentline said public sector services were perceived as only helping parents when they were seen to be doing a bad job "rather than acknowledging that all parents intend to a good job and are thus entitled to help".

The charity's chief executive Dorit Braun said: "Our message is clear, that parenting support needs to be freely available and not just when things go wrong or when government deems that a child has behaved in such a negative way that parents must be punished as a result."

The charity said the report will be used to lobby the government and people working with families in a bid to "normalise" parent support, as it is in countries such as Australia, the US and Sweden.

It has printed posters and leaflets which will be displayed in schools, doctors' surgeries and leisure centres, urging parents to ask for help if they need it.