PARENTS in York could be jailed under a new city council power if they fail to stop their children acting violently or playing truant.

City of York Council is planning to introduce parental orders and contracts in a bid to clamp down on youngsters causing problems at school.

Parents could be asked to sign agreements, which may be used in court as evidence if their children continue to skip school.

And a court appearance could await those who breach a parenting order, which will force them to attend counselling or guidance sessions to help them improve their child's behaviour.

Nick Seaton, of the York parent organisation Campaign For Real Education, said he felt the move was "sinister", but said they were a way of controlling an escalating problem.

Members of the council's education advisory panel were meeting today to discuss the controversial measures with officers recommending the go-ahead.

A council report details how the Anti Social Behaviour Act has given schools and local authorities new powers to make arrangements with parents to address their child's conduct and attendance at school.

A parenting contract would be a voluntary, but formal, agreement between a parent, school and local authority.

It could be used in court at an application for a parenting order or during a prosecution for truancy.

A parenting order could be used in certain cases where children are excluded from school.

It applies to permanent exclusions, where a child receives four or more suspensions in a year or one suspension which lasts more than 16 days.

Breach of the order would be a criminal offence. It could be issued in response to serious misbehaviour - such as verbal abuse, assault, damaging school property or bullying.

Mr Seaton said: "In some ways this is quite a sinister move, but it would not have been necessary if central Government and local authorities had not gradually eroded parental responsibility. Now we have got this situation and it has to be solved."

Carole Farrar, head of New Earswick Primary School, said: "At primary school level I would hope we never have to use one.

"There is an awful lot we can do to work with parents before it gets to that stage.

"I also think they will probably take quite some time to obtain."

Carol Runicman, the council's education chief, said: "I can say we don't expect to use this very often. Co-operation is the most important thing - if you have got that, then you shouldn't have to go this far. This is a last resort."

Mark Smith, the council's principal education welfare officer, said: "The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 gave schools and local authorities new powers to make formal agreements - parenting contracts - with parents to address their children's behaviour and attendance at school.

"These are formal plans in which all parties concerned set out the steps they will take to help improve a child's behaviour or attendance.

"However, in some cases the authority can also apply to court for a Parenting Order. The DfES requires all local authorities to have procedures in place to demonstrate how they will manage these new orders and contracts."

BETHAN JOHN asked shoppers in York for their views on the planned crackdown:

Kate Lovell, 20, a student at the University of York, said: "Parents should take some responsibility for their children's behaviour, but I have met some parents who can't understand their children's bad behaviour and can't control them however hard they try. In these cases it would be more effective to help them with parenting classes rather than punishing them through the courts."

Martin Burton, 44, a shop manager from York, said: "We should go back to the days of having a truancy officer, responsible for ensuring truants were taken back to school. Teachers should have the power to keep children in school, even if this means chaining them to their desks. Parents must take responsibility for their children, but this is no good if other authority figures, such as teachers and the police, have had their authority taken away by the Government's obsession with political correctness and civil liberties."

Kenneth Sivillf, 69, retired, from Haxby, said: "I help out at the children's fairground rides in York and don't think we see any children playing truant. They are mainly pre-school age. In most families there is plenty of control - you can go too far with interfering too early."

Mike Lightfoot, 23, a playwright from York said: "It depends on the age of the kids.

"Once they reach 13 or 14 the parents don't have the necessary control and so it wouldn't be effective to take the parents of older kids to court. I honestly don't think there's much harm in missing a day of school. My mum would keep me home from school if it was a sunny day and I'm all for it."

Updated: 10:10 Tuesday, November 22, 2005