TELEVISION programme Supernanny has brought parenting skills into the limelight in a way nothing else could.

Tearaway children, fraught parents and a home in chaos offer a strange mix of entertainment and guidance on coping with children.

But getting help with parenting is not always about children causing havoc and parents being told what to do.

The newly-launched Ministry of Parenting says asking for help on parenting skills, or just confirming you are doing the right thing, does not make someone a bad parent.

For some parents, they could be asking for help with children who self-harm or are depressed, and want to learn how they can help their children. Overall, the ministry is about raising the self-esteem, confidence, emotional resilience and mental wellbeing among parents and children of all ages up to 18 and create a lasting bond between the two.

The not-for-profit organisation, based in Colcehster, is known as a community interest company, and offers its services across Essex.

It provides everything from targeted programmes for parents with specific issues, to general ones open to anyone.

Melissa Williamson, one of the three founding directors, explains: “As the credit crunch hits, parents get more stressed and under pressure and the backlash is felt by the children.

“Historically, going back 40 or 50 years, our parents had their own parental support in place. A lot of people lived with the grandparents, who were not working to the age they are now. I have children under age of seven but my parents are still in full time work, so can’t help with childcare and do not live near me. We have lost community support.”

It is for this reason the Ministry of Parenting decided there was a need for a service like it offers.

“In Essex, there has been parenting support on offer for about 15 years, but maybe it has not been as widely available and getting help is still a postcode lottery,” says Melissa.

“It would only come to parents who were in crisis. Now we know if we support parents from an early stage, the crisis may not happen.”

The three directors, Melissa and her colleagues Jeannie Gordon and Catherine Lowenhoff, who work with a bank of specialists and organisations including the NHS, have more than 40 years’ experience in parenting support between them.

Melissa, who in 2007 was awarded the Supporting Parents beyond the odds award by Parenting UK, has trained as a public health community development officer and has experience helping parents with healthy lifestyles.

She is keen to stress that asking for help should not make parents feel uncomfortable.

“There is no stigma attached to going to antenatal classes so there shouldn’t be stigma coming to these sessions,” she says.

Parenting programmes are more about learning from each other and being given the tools and advice to make any changes.

l For more information, visit www.theministryofparenting.com or call 01206 562626. Essex County Council’s family information service can be found at www.essex .gov.uk or by calling 0800 055 6874.