MORE than 150 parents in Greater Manchester have been ordered to take lessons in bringing up their kids after letting them get away with truancy or bad behaviour.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes disclosed the figures in parliament, showing the number of parenting orders granted by courts over the last three years.

The orders were introduced as a last resort to tackle the parents of problem children and can carry a fine of £1,000 if breached.

The number of orders made in Greater Manchester varies markedly. Salford granted the most orders in Greater Manchester with 58, making it the fourth highest region in the country behind Kent (77), Hampshire (62) and Leicester (62).

Wigan granted 49, Trafford 18 and Tameside 14. But Oldham has not granted a single parenting order and Bolton just one. Bury has had four, Manchester eight and Rochdale and Stockport nine each. The figures relate specifically to parenting orders sought for school-related matters, such as poor attendance and permanent or temporary exclusion.

The orders can also be given to parents of youngsters who offend, or have received another court order, such as an Asbo.

They last for up to 12 months and do not result in the parent getting a criminal record.

The orders normally require the recipient to attend counselling or guidance sessions for several weeks and often further meetings with teachers at their child's school.

Although the orders are granted through civil action, anyone who breaches them can be prosecuted and given a caution or fined up to £1,000.

John Warmisham, Salford's children's services spokesman, said: "Parenting orders are a useful tool for tackling poor school attendance.

"We don't take their use lightly and only use them in cases where parents have refused to work with us to improve their children's attendance or in cases where lower-level interventions have failed.

"We appreciate there are often complex reasons behind poor attendance and we are committed to working with parents, pupils and schools to tackle any underlying issues.

"Parenting orders are a last resort, but we use them because we have an obligation to ensure children are benefiting from an education that will set them up for life."