Before his own unfortunate brush with teenagers and the law, Home Secretary Jack Straw suggested setting up classes in parenting and a telephone helpline for parents along the lines of ChildLine and the Samaritans.

In fact a telephone helpline for parents has been in existence for 20 years and is now in the process of expanding to meet just those needs referred to by Mr Straw.

Croydon's Parentline group was one of the first to launch such a service in Britain.

Parentline UK is a collection of autonomous local charities co-ordinated by a central umbrella organisation to meet the highest standards of public service.

Parentline branches and groups currently deal with around 25,000 calls a year from distressed people who have problems parenting.

These problems range from crying babies to toddler tantrums, from abusive relationships to teenage traumas. By far the majority of calls today concern teenagers. Anxieties include under-age sex, sexual orientation, truancy, drug abuse, aggression, criminal activity, potential suicide, alienation and bullying.

Some teenage problems certainly stem from the break-up of the nuclear family.

Some callers will explain that 13-year-old Tommy has no contact with his birth father, has lost two subsequent substitute dads, has moved house leaving behind friends and family and has just been presented with a baby sister.

The caller will then say that Tommy's bad behaviour is a complete mystery. It takes considerable time and effort to lead this type of caller towards some understanding of the child's confusion and anger - without being judgmental or telling them "what I would do."

It's important to remember that parents who do call Parentline are being responsible.

They're seeking help and by admitting that they have a problem, taking the first steps towards finding a solution.

The mother who calls to say she fears she may injure her child is probably less likely to do so than the mother who hides her feelings from everyone. Some callers are simply looking for information or need to be referred on to a different specialist agency.

Parentline volunteers come from all walks of life, all ages, races and beliefs. The only thing they have in common is that they have parented a child. Although there's no requirement for formal counselling skills, potential volunteers must show a willingness and ability to undergo training in basic telephone helpline techniques and to observe Parentline's code of ethics, which includes a non-judgmental attitude, empathy and confidentiality.

They must also be able to offer a level of commitment - 30 hours' training over a 10-week period followed by six months' probation during which each volunteer does four hours of helpline duty a week and attends a monthly support group meeting. Volunteers must also be able to write up reports of their calls.

Up until now we have always worked from home but we're currently in the process of moving to an office in Cornerstone House.

We ideally need two volunteers at a time in order to offer a full professional service to callers and support for workers - so we are urgently seeking more people to train.

Parentline is holding preliminary individual interviews for potential volunteers on Wednesday, February 4, with a follow-up session on February 11.

Those selected will start training later in the month. People wanting a volunteer application form and information pack should call 01883 348 835.

Parents who need to speak to Parentline should call 0181 689 3136.

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