Public health minister Yvette Cooper gave details last week about Sure Start Plus, an 8m scheme to be piloted in 15 areas of the country. In each pilot area there will be a Sure Start Plus advisor for teenage parents, who will receive individual support packages covering issues including childcare, education, jobs, housing, benefits and healthcare.
The scheme will target teenage fathers, encouraging them to play a greater role in their children's upbringing. Teenage girls who are pregnant will also be given impartial advice on their options for the future.
Ms Cooper said, 'Nine out of ten teenage parents live on income support. They often have few or no qualifications, they suffer from postnatal depression more often than other mothers, and are more likely to be stuck in poverty in later life. That disadvantage is passed on to their children - who in turn are at greater risk of becoming teenage parents too.
'It isn't fair that these children of teenage parents should get fewer opportunities in life. Teenage parents need help to get back into education and employment so that they can support their families for the long term.' A spokeswoman for the lone parents charity Gingerbread described the initiative as 'an excellent proposal', and said that it 'should provide much-needed support both for teenage parents and their children'.
She added, 'Teenage parents, especially lone parents, can experience high levels of stress due to isolation, poor housing and financial difficulties as well as the responsibilities of caring for their children. Any positive, non-judgmental support is to be welcomed, and hopefully the programme will quickly become more widely available.'