A report has revealed that 42% of parents in East Anglia are struggling to access essential pre-school child development and parenting support.

Carried out by charity Action for Children, the report found that more than four in ten parents with children aged 0-5 struggle or are unable to access vital "lifeline" parenting support - while 26% are missing out completely.

It also found that despite government targets to improve learning outcomes at the age of five, low-income parents across England are 40% more likely to have problems accessing early years support in comparison to high-income families.

The cost-of-living crisis is also hindering parents trying to access services according to the report - as well as the services not being available for free and the cost of fuel or public transport.

The charity is calling on the new prime minister to make sure that every family has access to key early years services in their local area, with sustained investment for parenting support.

Early years services - often found in children's centres and family hubs - include non-childcare programmes to aid children’s education and development, such as baby and toddler groups and parenting programmes.

These types of services also allow professionals to identify more serious issues facing families.

Chief Executive of Home-Start Suffolk, Tara Spence said: "Home-Start in Suffolk has seen a 96% increase in referrals for our family support service over the past year.

"Many families that we support are vulnerable, isolated, and stretched, juggling the many demands of family life, often exacerbated by poor health, financial challenges, and relationship breakdown.

"We aim to provide families with a service, whether it is through one-to-one volunteer support, one of our groups or our local drop-ins, that recognises the critical role that parents play in raising their children whilst acknowledging that many parents can feel very isolated and lonely.

"We absolutely endorse the view that support in the early years is crucial, as well as National investment, we should not forget the important role we all have locally in building compassionate communities where people are there for families and children at the earliest moments of needing support."

Home-start is looking to recruit and train 60 more volunteers and more information can be found here.

Some 63% of the region's parents told Action for Children that they want more high-quality support available to help with their parenting.

A Government spokesperson said: “We have made an additional £3.7billion available to councils this year alone to help them deliver key services and support families.

“We’re also backing families with better and earlier access to services that keep them safe and healthy by investing millions in expanding a network of Family Hubs all over England and with the Supporting Families programme, which is helping to keep up to 300,000 families together safely and provide loving homes for children. We have also set out plans to tackle the choice and availability of childcare.”