Centre will give vital help to young mums
A CENTRE for teenage mums and young parents has been launched in Sudbury to ensure their education and career prospects are kept on track.
Suffolk Youth Connexions – part of Suffolk County Council – opened the Young Parents’ Group in the Phoenix Centre after consulting young mums and dads in the town.
Vicki Morris, 35, a support and advocacy worker at the centre, said: “When we held consultations in Sudbury earlier this year we found that young people felt they did not get enough support and that they wanted a place where they could meet up regularly with other young parents and parents to be.
“Their response also suggested they did not feel they were getting enough advice on continuing education and understanding what job prospects they could pursue.”
She said there were still many issues surrounding young parents that society was not dealing with.
“Clearly sex education still has a long way to go in this country. Out of all the young girls that come to see us - including one who was just 15 when she arrived – only one of them actually chose to get pregnant.
“In this day and age people should not be finding themselves pregnant without understanding the reasons why. We need to start looking at why we have the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe. We are certainly not here to judge anyone but for too many young people having a child stops their education and job prospects and we want to ensure this no longer happens to young parents in the Sudbury area.”
Advice on employment opportunities – but more importantly how young parents can continue in education – is offered by staff at the centre.
“It’s not just about work and qualifications. Society still judges young parents especially single mums who often end up with terrible reputations. I want them to know that they are welcome to come along even if it is just to talk to other people in the same situation as them,” said Vicki.
She described the hot-spots in the region where teenage pregnancy rates were far higher than the county average.
“There are certain areas, such as Great Cornard, where there is clearly a much higher rate and we need to work with parents, schools and community leaders to find out why this is happening,” she added.
Parents, or those who are pregnant, can turn up at the Phoenix Centre between 11.30am and 1.30pm every Thursday.
For more information call the Suffolk Youth and Connexions Service on 01284 768493.
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Weather for Sudbury
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
