A little less than two years ago, this newspaper called for a board of inquiry into the whole problem of single parenting, child support and parental access.

The stories in today?s again show why such a board is needed. And yet, in spite of stories in the media and seemingly wide awareness of the challenges faced by single parent families ? and the costs they pose to the community ? precious little has been done.

That?s not to say that there aren?t dozens of people ? like Althea Iris of Single Parents in Action, who is featured in today?s newspaper ? working hard to help individuals through advice, financial assistance and so on.

But there is no plan and there is no community commitment to really get to grips with the issue.

That is partly because anyone who dares to criticise single parents is immediately accused of being overly-judgmental, and it is a fair accusation because few situations better fit the saying ?there but for the grace of God go I ...?.

And yet all the statistics show that single mothers in particular face heavy odds in trying to successfully raise their children, especially when the father disappears.

The fact that there are successful single mothers does not negate that truth; they and their children have succeeded in spite of the problems ? not because they are single mothers.

To be sure, there are fathers who want to help and are prevented from doing so because relations with some mothers have reached such a low ebb. And there are families who are better off without a parent who may be violent or a substance abuser.

All of these factors need to be examined by a board of inquiry. But they do not take away from the overall problem.

Single parent families, especially those headed by women, tend to be at the bottom of the economic pecking order.

The children are more prone to repeat the cycle of the parents.

The children are more likely to be less well educated than their peers from ?nuclear families?.

And they are more likely to be more prone to violence.

Sheelagh Cooper of the Coalition for the Protection of Children stated today: ?It?s got all the makings for increased violence.

?In criminalogical terms its just as predictable as you can possibly get. ?We are seeing the effects of that. We have no reason to think that is going to change unless we address the economic and social issues.?

It is important not to assign blame or to accuse people of irresponsibility in these cases. That achieve very little, even when there seems to be plenty of evidence to make such a case.

That?s because that too often ends the debate immediately.

Instead, it is important to look at the factors that cause single parents and to examine what it costs the family and society.

From there, putting in proper rules for financial support, parental access, decent childcare and education are essential.

If it is done properly, it will not be cheap. But the long term benefits are immeasurable. And for the children?s sake, educating parents, especially young adults, on the benefits of waiting is essential.