National parent helpline to be launched under Children's Plan
CYP Now staff
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The government is to create a national helpline for parents similar to NHS Direct to help deliver its vision of a new relationship with parents.
The Children's Plan will propose a transformation in the way government will work with parents to deliver better childhoods for all.
The helpline is one of a series of measures designed to help parents raise their children better.
Other measures include providing more parental support advisers, regular email updates on children's performance at school, and the creation of parent councils to ensure their views are heard in schools.
The government is also planning to produce guidance for parents about the safe limits for alcohol use by under 18s next year and wants midwives based in Sure Starts.
A major overhaul of primary school education is also expected to be a key focus of the Children's Plan, whic h will be published later today.
The government wants foreign languages taught in all primary schools and greater flexibility in the timing of tests. Ministers also want the curriculum to be more flexible and a greater focus on reading, writing and maths.
But there will also be an increased focus on creativity in schools, with five hours of cultural education and activities for children.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls is expected to announce two studies to examine the effect on advertising and the media on children and young people.
The first will examine the commercial pressures placed on children from advertising and marketing. The second will examine the sexualisation of young girls and how it affects their self-esteem.
There will also be an extension in the availability of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds, which is currently being piloted in a few areas.
While the plan will set out the actions the government will take to try to implement its vision during the next three years, the plan is vaguer on the rest of the 10-year period the plan will cover concentrating on vision instead of detail.
Ahead of the Children's Plan, Balls announced extra funding for disabled children's services including a further £45m for short breaks and £8.4m for the Family Fund to provide grants to disabled 16 and 17 year olds.
