AbstractThe White PaperYoung Offenders(Cmnd. 8045, October 1980) has a section on the responsibility of parents which contains proposals concerning the extension of mandatory provisions for children aged under 14. The proposals are examined in the light of the findings of a series of studies showing the significant association between parental supervision and their children's social behaviour. While parental supervision appears to be more important than other factors, effective supervision was found to be closely associated with the material circumstances of the family and also with the proportion of severely socially handicapped families in the neighbourhood. The likelihood of the White Paper proposals succeeding, if implemented, in bringing home to parents their responsibility is discussed with reference to different styles of parental regimes and alternative measures are considered.