‘Parents will have to be responsible if their children break the law’, says Labour’s shadow Justice Secretary

Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed (PA Archive)

Parents whose children repeatedly break the law will be made to “take responsibility” and enroll in court-ordered caregiving classes, under new Labour proposals.

Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed said the use of parenting orders would be expanded under a Labour government in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour, as he laid out his party’s pledge to cut crime and slash the courts backlog.

The new policing plan echoed former prime minister Tony Blair’s promise to be “tough on crime and the causes of crime”.

During a speech at Middle Temple on Friday, Mr Reed said: “I will help parents take responsibility for tackling the behaviour of their own children if they repeatedly commit crime.

“We will expand the use of parenting orders so the courts can require parents of young offenders to attend parenting classes. We will support parents to steer their children back on track before the crime in a young life becomes a life of crime.

“Anti-social behaviour will be met with consequences, because we know how damaging it is for communities that feel powerless.”

Parenting orders are issued by courts following prosecution and require parents to attend counselling or guidance sessions and to comply with specified requirements.

The number of orders given out has declined significantly in the last decade, from 439 in 2010/11 down to 117 in 2018/19, and just eight in 2020/21.

Parenting contracts are designed to give support to carers and help prevent children from offending, anti-social behaviour or being truant.

Prior to the pandemic, 18,300 partently contracts were offered to parents by courts or local authorities in 2018/19, of which 69 per cent were accepted.

But there has been a dramatic drop in the number of parents taking part, with 7,800 contracts offered in 2020/21 of which 5,800 were taken up.

Last year some 14,900 parenting contracts were offered, but only 9,600 accepted.

Mr Reed pledged “end-to-end” reform of the criminal justice system. Rape cases would be fast-tracked, he said, and Australian-style community courts would be set up to tackle the backlog.

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At the end of 2022 there were 61,737 outstanding serious-crime cases – the highest year-end figure on record.

Mr Reed also outlined plans for “clean-up squads” to tackle fly-tipping, which would see offenders clearing up dumped litter while also being fined.

“Anti-social behaviour can leave communities feeling broken and powerless,” he said. “It leads to a spiral of social and economic decline that a Labour government will not tolerate.”

It comes as the Department for Justice announced “Nightingale courts” set up during the pandemic would stay open to help ease the backlog. In London there will be extra courtrooms in Holborn, Barbican, and Croydon.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, said: “We are determined to provide the swift justice that victims deserve, and Nightingale courts have a vital role to play as our justice system continues to recover from the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and last year’s strike action.”