By Pamela McGowan Health reporter

Published at 11:38, Wednesday, 28 May 2008

HEALTH chiefs are poised to target the Cumbrian schools with the highest teen pregnancy rates in a push to educate young people.

John Ashton: Proposals

The county’s public health boss wants to encourage a new culture where children talk openly about sex from a very young age and parents are no longer prudish or embarrassed.

Prof John Ashton also wants to see dedicated teen health centres being set up across the county, including one at the city academy planned for Carlisle.

Although they have started to drop, teenage pregnancy rates in the city are still higher than the national average.

For example between 2004 and 2006, 48 of every 1,000 15 to 17-year-olds in Carlisle were pregnant.

Nationally the figure was 41 out of 1,000.

The picture in Barrow and west Cumbria is similar, with lower rates in parts of Eden and South Lakeland.

In the next few months Cumbria Primary Care Trust (PCT) will join with health bosses in Lancashire to launch a debate about sex and young people in a bid to address problems such as teenage pregnancy.

Prof Ashton, county public health director, believes education is the key – this being in schools from a young age, in the wider community and at home.

“We need to give young people more support. To do this I would like to see more school-based clinics, teenage health centres and school nurses.

“For example I’d like to see the new academy in Carlisle have a teenage health centre and perhaps one in the grounds of the university that’s open to teenagers.

“There should also be a school nurse for each cluster of schools in Cumbria doing things like dispensing the pill to young women.”

He believes that the majority of parents will support these moves as it will ultimately reduce the risk of their child getting pregnant.

“Most parents today accept the fact that their children are probably going to be having sex before they leave school.

“If that’s the case we need to make sure they have the knowledge to make informed decisions and easy access to contraception and clinical support when they need it.”

He also believes that schools can play a vital part in supporting parents to be more open.

“We seem to have this Victorian hangover where parents are embarrassed to talk about sex, ” added Prof Ashton.

For example, the Currock area of Carlisle has become a historical hotspot for teenage pregnancy. Last year, one out of every nine teenage girls, aged 13 to 19, was pregnant.

But six months ago community leaders launched an innovative youth project to help tackle this and other issues affecting young people. The Rock gives teenagers somewhere to go at nights, meet their friends and take part in games and activities.

At the same time there is also access to a wide range of information about sexual health, alcohol and drugs.

The Rev Alun Jones said the aim was to get young people off the streets, where they were more likely to get involved in risky behaviour, and give them a sense of belonging and responsibility.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk