MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 February 2009

No cause for celebration

The increasing number of very young parents is no cause for celebration according to Anthea Simcock, child advocate and chief executive of the child protection organisation CPS.

Mrs Simcock says that it has been documented repeatedly that children of young parents are less likely to reach their potential, and are more vulnerable to maltreatment.

“The research is quite clear”, she said. “Statistically the children of young mothers struggle to do well, and are at greater risk of child abuse and neglect than those who are born to older mothers. This does not mean that young mothers with the right support and long-term help cannot become wonderful parents. However on average, the odds are stacked against them.”

Mrs Simcock said that young parents will generally have had less opportunity to develop life skills or parenting abilities, and will struggle to complete a qualification that would enable them to provide more independently for their child. She said that when this background is combined with the stresses of sole parenthood and the conflicting desire to be a like other young people growing up, it is easy for the child to be put at risk.

“As responsible adults in our society, we need to take any glamour out of the idea of young people having a baby, we need to give young people all the facts and information we can, and we need to be very sure that a young mother has long-term family support before we encourage her to bring up a baby on her own. The message needs to be: ‘If you want a baby of yours to have a good start in life, then put off having your baby until you have an education’

ENDS

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