CHILDREN'S campaigners have called for education programmes aimed at improving parenting skills to become as routine as antenatal classes in order to give youngsters in Scotland the best start in life.

The suggestion has been made following the publication of a report into the death of toddler Declan Hainey, who was killed by his drug addict mother.

Tam Baillie, Scotland's commissioner for children and young people, said it was vital that GPs and health visitors have the training and resources to offer "prolonged and consistent" contact during the earliest years of a child's life.

But he also said more widespread use of parent education programmes – currently being trialled in some areas of Scotland – could help provide support.

Baillie said: "I think we need to popularise that support to parents. We have to get much more serious about the kind of support we offer to our parents, particularly in the earliest years of children's lives."

Declan was murdered by his heroin-addicted mother Kimberley at their home in Paisley. He was last seen alive when he was 15 months old; his mummified body was found in his cot eight months later, in March 2010.

Hainey, 37, had repeatedly lied to her family, neighbours and health and social work staff about the whereabouts of her son. She was last month jailed for a minimum of 15 years for his murder.

The report into the murder commissioned by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Renfrewshire Council found there had been a "catalogue of missed opportunities" to identify that Declan was at risk. He was not even identified as a child in need, far less considered under child protection procedures.

Baillie said lessons must be learned from such tragedies, but that the focus should not just be on child protection systems.

"I don't think we should look at this just through the prism of child protection systems. There is a much bigger issue about our approach to early years. If we could use this as one of the wake-up calls to improve early years [services] then that will be a positive outcome."

Matt Forde, head of charity NSPCC Scotland, said for every child abuse case involving a death there was an "unacceptable reality" of other youngsters suffering chronic neglect and maltreatment.

He said: "Not all children living with parents who have problems with drugs or alcohol experience maltreatment, but the risks are greatly magnified when parents have these problems.

"The damage is not always evident, but it exacts a huge toll in terms of the reality of these childhoods and what that does for prospects for life."

NSPCC Scotland has recently set up a programme in the west of Scotland to help improve the parenting skills of mothers and fathers who may have stabilised their drug use through methadone.

But Forde said there was also "real value" in extending support to all families across Scotland to help provide the best parenting.

"I think people have no problem accepting you go to antenatal classes or you take a child for a check-up at the GP. We should think of providing parents with parent education as something that is just a normal and natural thing for parents to do.

"We know those early months and years are absolutely critical to determining later health and wellbeing. What comes normally and naturally to many parents is something that some parents need some support to arrive at."

Forde said Scotland could look to other countries for examples of how to improve early years services: "In Finland, for instance, they have taken the decision now to roll out a nationwide network of family centres for the community, that provides comprehensive support to all families."

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People, said improving the life chances for children and their families was paramount for the Scottish Government. She said £50 million had been allocated to a fund for early years services, some of which has been used to provide extra nursery places for vulnerable two-year-olds.

She added: "We're also presently working to deliver a national parenting strategy to support parents as and when they need it."