Addressing delegates in his keynote speech to his party’s annual conference, Ed Miliband emphasised the need for government to "nourish the things that matter to families and to family life".
"We must think how we protect families up and down this country," he said. "Families can’t do the best job if they are stressed out working 60 or 70 hours a week, can’t be there when the kids get home, doing two or three jobs.
"We’ve got to change our culture on working time not just for the good of families but because it is through family that we learn right from wrong, develop ambitions for ourselves and kindness and respect for others.
"When I look at some of the challenges we face – from gangs to teenage pregnancy – it is only a government that stands up for families that are trying their best to bring up their kids that can offer answers."
Miliband added that investment in education is vital, but must be accompanied by proper accountability and reform where necessary.
"I went to my local comprehensive. I know the value of a good school, a good teacher. And I know there are many parents frustrated with a school that doesn’t suit your child or live up to your hopes," he explained.
"There are amazing schools in my constituency and amazing teachers and head teachers. But one of them was failing pupils. And it pained me as an MP to see those kids being consistently let down. Now that school has been taken over, the kids’ life chances reformed. That is what good public service reform is about."
Referring to the Conservatives' record on supporting schools and public services, Miliband argued that they "did nothing to fix the roof while the sun was shining".
"I come from a generation that suffered school lessons in Portakabins and crumbling hospitals," he said. "Our legacy is a generation for whom newly built schools and modernised hospitals are an everyday fact of life."
On the national debt, Miliband admitted that his party would have also made harsh cuts, but he slammed the coalition’s hasty attempt to cut the deficit.
"The starting point for a responsible plan is to halve the deficit over four years," he said. "But growth is our priority and we must remain vigilant against a downturn. You see when you cancel thousands of new school buildings at a stroke, it isn’t just bad for our kids, it’s bad for construction companies at a time when their order books are empty."
Commenting on the speech, 4Children chief executive Anne Longfield said: "Recognition that modern families value spending time together and that family-friendly employment policies are important echo messages we’ve heard throughout our work with families."
