'Relay parenting' putting strain on relationships

Parents are spending more time with their children but less time with each other, according to a Government report.

The rise of "relay parenting" means couples could face more problems in their relationship.

The Cabinet Office study found parents were now placing a greater emphasis on being with their child and educational activities.

With couples' combined working hours increasing, it is often the case that parents spend time with their children individually, rather than as a family. This means less "alone time" for parents.

The study found that in the UK, the working hours of women with and without partners has gone up since 1997.

The report was published to tie in with a "relationship summit" hosted by Schools Secretary Ed Balls and the nation's agony aunts today.

It concluded there was no such thing as a "typical" family any more.

Stepfamilies are one of the fastest growing families, while a quarter of families have just one parent, the study found.

Speaking at today's event, Sun columnist Deidre Sanders said: "There is no such thing as a typical family, they can come in all sorts of guises.

"What really matters is having strong relationships between parents, be they living together or living apart, over raising children."

Today's summit saw the agony aunts advise ministers on what they could do to support children and families affected by relationship problems.

Official figures show three million of the UK's 12 million children will see their parents separate during their childhood.

Around 200,000 to 250,000 couples separate each year, affecting about 350,000 youngsters.

Relationship breakdowns account for almost half of children's emotional and behavioural problems, and children from broken homes are less likely to pass exams and more likely to leave home and become a parent at an earlier age.

Mr Balls said: "Too often in the past we have focused on supporting adults when they are breaking up but we have not thought enough about the impact on children."

He added: "We know how important stable family relationships are to the wellbeing of both adults and children.

"Families are the fabric or our society and it's vital that we support them.

"How Government works with and for families is rightly a matter for debate, but with family structures becoming increasingly complex and varied it's clear that our role in Government is to support all families - whatever their make-up - to deal with the pressures of modern society."

Mr Balls launched a new Kids In The Middle booklet, written by agony aunts, and announced a three-point plan aimed at supporting new and first time parents as well as children caught up in relationship problems.