Labour will set up family advice line

A national advice service for families called Parents Direct is to be set up if Labour wins the next election.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly announced today that the phone line and website, modelled on the successful NHS direct, will be available throughout England by 2008.

The new service, closely tied to Labour's flagship Sure Start programme, will provide advice on issues including how to claim tax credits and how to help children if they are being bullied, Ms Kelly told the Daycare Trust conference in Westminster.

NHS Direct, whose advice lines are staffed by local nurses 24 hours a day, has proved extremely popular since it went live in 1998.

Ms Kelly said: "We are going to create a one-stop shop, offering information and advice for parents at the local level."

Parents Direct will be piloted in 55 areas initially, and then extended to the rest of the country within three years.

It will cost between ?10 million and ?20 million a year to run.