It sounds obvious, but children need good parents.
Mary Crowley, of Parenting UK, says that children are growing up in a “terrifying” world of pressures and dangers, and that good parenting advice is essential in a society where, generally, the extended family is fractured or in decline.
Her organisation has just won a £30m National Academy for Parenting Practitioners contract.
The BBC reports:
“Nobody sets out to be a bad parent,” said Crowley, “But it’s quite hard to get real advice. You get advice about what sort of buggy to buy.”
Ms Crowley also raised concerns over increasing violence and dangers in society, the need for children to be ‘street-wise’, and the marketing pressures put upon them.
She also made a call for more men to come forward to train as parenting practitioners. I couldn’t agree more – men need to be involved so that they can stand alongside other fathers to provide help and support.