Blair proposes network of 'Supernannies'

By Ben Quinn
The Telegraph
Nov. 22, 2006

Tony Blair has unveiled plans to introduce nearly 80 “Supernannies” to help parents tame unruly children.

Up to Ł4 million is to be spent on creating a network of experts in a bid to tackle the roots of anti-social behaviour, according to the Prime Minister.

advertisementUnder the measures, courts will also be encouraged to order compulsory lessons in a wider number of cases, while classes may also be given to parents whose children have engaged in anti-social behaviour rather than in crime.

Laying the ground for the publication of proposals to force more fathers and mothers to attend parenting classes, Mr Blair said that an "overwhelming majority” of people would welcome outside assistance.

“This should be no surprise given the huge popularity of all those television programmes in which experts help parents with their problem kids,” he added.

“So I don’t believe any government, particularly one determined to tackle anti-social behaviour, can ignore parents’ cry for help.”

He added: “The nanny state argument applied to this is just rubbish. No-one’s talking about interfering in a 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 cases, a bit of nannying with sticks and carrots is what the local community needs.”

However, the proposals failed to impress Nacro, the crime reduction charity, which said that blaming parents was “unproductive”.

Its chief executive, Paul Cavadino, said that many parents were at their wits’ end to know how to control their children’s behaviour, and needed support rather than a “punitive approach”.

“Parenting courses have a proven track record in helping parents to exercise more effective control over their children’s behaviour,” he added.

“However, a voluntary approach is usually more likely to engage parents than compulsion, which can run the risk of breeding resentment.

“We should be cautious about extending compulsory powers to other types of anti-social behaviour without the procedural safeguards of a youth court hearing.”

The Home Secretary, John Reid, defended compulsory classes for the parents of undisciplined children, claiming that the measures would “change lives” and ultimately save thousands of pounds.

He said that the alternative to such orders would be to do nothing about the families of such children, with a future cost to society including thousands of pounds in court and social care fees.

“Getting the problem earlier and a combination of being robust on those parents who will not face up to their responsibilities and helping those who want to through these parenting classes is one of the elements - it is only one of the elements of tackling this,” he told GMTV.