TEENAGE mothers are to be given their own personal nurses to act as mentors for up three years advising them on everything from breast feeding to keeping their boyfriend.
A new class of family nurse, earning up to £40,000 a year, is to be trained to offer relationship and family planning advice and even career support to 16,000 teenage parents from deprived backgrounds.
They will combine elements of the role currently served by community midwives and health visitors with more specialist one-on-one advice ranging from teaching them how to cook for their children to helping them give up smoking and drugs.
The Government hopes that the £17.5 million project will prevent child abuse and domestic violence and reduce the chances of babies themselves growing up to become troubled youths.
It is based on a scheme in the US which, according to studies, had a dramatic impact on the levels of child abuse and crime.
Following a pilot scheme, the “Family Nurse Partnership” is to be almost doubled in size with almost 1,000 specialist nurses.
Agencies
