11/08/03 - Stopping the poverty trap for teenage parents

Government research showing that teenage parents are likely to encounter poverty because they are unable to continue or finish their education and training. This has led to a focus on ensuring more teenage parents have opportunities to increase their education and training. The continuing education focus was discussed recently when the second in a series of successful teenage pregnancy forums was held for practitioners working with young people. The forum, hosted by the Cumbria Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood Partnership looked at the issues of inequality for teenage parents, often leading to poverty.   

Fran Frankland, Cumbria’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Co-ordinator says,   

“This poverty issue is one of the main reasons why the government have required every County to have Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood Strategy. One of the major factors causing poverty for a teen parent is not finishing or continuing their education or training. The strategy aims to work in partnership with agencies to get more teenage parents into education reducing their long-term social exclusion.   

Steady progress is being made within Cumbria with latest figures showing a drop of 14% across the county as a whole. There are variations across the county but we are currently well on target to reach the interim Government target goal of a 15% reduction in teenage pregnancies by 2004. The Government’s long-term target is a 50% reduction in teenage pregnancy by 2010. It is vitally important that all agencies involved continue to work in partnership, ensuring that young people have access to services and are able to make informed choices. For those teenagers who choose to become parents, we must work to ensure that education and training opportunities are available and accessible, to stop those young people living in poverty with their children.   

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