In Focus - Parents need help as children grow up

1 October 2013 3 mins read 4Children Early Years Families/Parenting Social Care

While some seem to sail through their teens without a glitch, others find adolescence overwhelming. All parents want what's best for their children, so when they suspect that their teenager may be going off the rails, many are at a loss over where to find help.

Support is most effective when it happens early. Scientists now realise that the teenage brain undergoes the same sort of radical redevelopment as is seen in the rest of the teenage body, particularly in the regions responsible for social behaviour. This means that we have an important, but not indefinite, window of opportunity to get troubled teenagers back on track.

While direct support for young people has been scaled back in many local areas, the government introduced its Troubled Families Programme to work with many families struggling with anti-social teenage behaviour. Figures from local authorities indicate that the intensive support is starting to pay off, with almost 14,000 families now being 'turned around'. While all progress is good news, it is no replacement for the often more cost-effective early support.

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