PREVENTION/EDUCATION IDEAS

Children taught parenting skills

Children in East Ayrshire will hear of the consequences of pregnancy Children as young as 10 are to be given parenting lessons in a project part-funded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter. The scheme in East Ayrshire will teach pupils the consequences of becoming a teenage mother or father. Parenting classes, run by the local authority, will spell out the impact a child would have on career prospects.

A similar scheme which aims to reduce unemployment among school leavers is to be launched in Edinburgh. The £5m projects are funded by Sir Tom, the Scottish Executive and the councils involved. Sir Tom said: "This is a challenging, ambitious but achievable programme of intervention. If Scotland has its own 'inconvenient truth' it is that our system is failing 20% of our young people - they are not failing it, we are failing them. We have procrastinated long enough on analysis to the point of paralysis. Today marks a break with that, a break no government has taken before."

'Cycle of disadvantage'
Under the scheme, known as the 20/20 Vision programme, secondary schools in Cumnock and Doon Valley are to become one-stop shops, providing support for children and families. Sir Tom Hunter said it is time to stop failing young people. In a bid to halt the transfer of unemployment down the generations, the programme will provide support for young parents. Ten and 11-year-olds and 14 and 15-year-olds will be offered parenting programmes.

Councillor Tommy Farrell said: "The services that will be delivered in this project have the potential to make real and lasting benefits to the lives of young people and families."

In Edinburgh, schools will aim to re-engage those who have switched off from academic subjects, with a greater emphasis on vocational education. The initiative is giving the council £500,000 for three consecutive years to focus on three high schools in Craigroyston, Wester Hailes and Castlebrae and their neighbourhoods.

Councillor Ewan Aitken, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said breaking the cycle of disadvantage is the top priority for his administration. He added: "This is a revolutionary approach that will make a real difference to the lives of many young people in Edinburgh."

8 November 2006

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6128306.stm

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