PA
One of the Government's think tanks, The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has said that parents who refuse offers to deal with their children's behavioural problems should have their state handouts cut.
The Prime Minister David Cameron proposed stopping benefits for families where children regularly play truant last week, but the CSJ's report, out today, says that Government should go further and make parents 'face up to their responsibility'.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the CSJ's study 'No Excuses: A review of educational exclusion' found the financial implications of dealing with unruly kids is running into billions, as expulsions from school alone cost society as a whole £650 million over a lifetime, whilst suspensions leave a £9 billion bill.
The CSJ's research also revealed that pupils as young as SEVEN were taking knives and other weapons into school.
The report concluded that there is a "profound failure" in attempts to deal with disruption and bad behaviour in the classroom, and calls for "radical reform on exclusion".
The CSJ's executive director Gavin Poole said: "In some cases there is a core of parents simply refusing to engage with the school and in their child's education.
"If support is being offered and parents are still refusing to co-operate compelling parents to get involved could include a wide range of sanctions, such as loss of child benefit payments or welfare benefits.
"Parents have to face up to the responsibility of parenting."
What do you think? Should parents face benefit cuts if their kids misbehaveor is this idea further penalising the people who most need help?