County's young parents gain qualifications for their parenting skills

A group of young Herefordshire parents have successfully completed a unique course which prepares them for parenthood.

Herefordshire has one of the most successful YMTB (young mums to be) programmes in the country with its learners gaining well above average levels of achievement. The programme is designed to prepare young prospective parents for birth and parenthood, encouraging their independence, boosting their basic skills, motivating them to breastfeed their babies and helping them plan for their future education, employment and training.

Based at the Green Croft Children's Centre, partnership agencies work together to successfully deliver individual parts of the programme. Midwives, health visitors, youth workers, housing and family support workers are all involved in helping the young mums complete the course, put together their portfolios and achieve a Skills for Life Competence award from the national awarding body, NCFE.

Three of the mums are now training to become peer breastfeeding supporters, one is a registered childminder and one has gone back to college full-time. Two young mums from one of the groups have been into a secondary school with the school nurse to tell the pupils about the realities of young parenthood.

The young mums who have to complete 12 units of the programme say they benefit from the course and feel better able to cope with parenthood as a result. The units include sections on money management, communication skills, healthy lifestyle, and life skills related to parenting, as well as future planning with regard to training, education and work.

The latest course members to complete their portfolios of work were presented with their awards on Wednesday June 11th, 10.30am at the Left Bank Conference Centre by Dr Sharon Menghini, Herefordshire Council's director of children's services.

Councillor Jenny Hyde, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "The young parents who get involved in the programme are inspirational. Not only have they learned new skills, they have been eager to give something back by helping other young people and challenging the stereotype of teenage parenthood.

"Many of them have formed strong friendships with others on the course and continue attending the postnatal group which is run by health visitors once their babies have been born.

"We are very proud of the successes of our young people."