In a survey of 140 parents with children under six, the Future Foundation revealed that most placed greatest trust in their partner or spouse while they had least confidence in nannies, workplace nurseries and their neighbour. A partner or spouse scored 9.7 out of 10 when parents were asked who they trusted most with their child's welfare, while nannies scored 5.8.
(See bar chart) After the parents' immediate family, a friend and their child's teacher and doctor were ranked higher than a day nursery or childminder, according to the foundation's report, The Changing Face of Parenting.
The think-tank found that more than two-thirds - 68 per cent - of parents are 'extremely worried' about their children's future and well-being, and this anxiety, particularly among younger parents, is leading to growing support for surveillance technologies.
'An astounding 41 per cent of mothers, who had children after 2000, desire location tracking technologies to know where their children are at all times. This compares to 26 per cent of mothers who had children in the 1980s or before. The culture of fear is growing and we can expect an even greater proportion of mothers in the future to have an interest in child surveillance technologies,' the report stated.
It said that 36 per cent of parents aged 16 to 24 believed that a video link to their child's nursery would help with childcare, compared with 14 per cent among those aged 55 and over.
While trust was central to the choice of childcare, a third of parents considered a convenient location the second most important factor, ahead of affordability.
The report noted 'a professionalisation of parenting', with today's parents putting 'far more time, effort and thought into their relationship with their children than previous generations', and being more concerned to obtain the best information about schooling and health services.
The report is available at www.futurefoundation.net.
