Pregnant teenagers and young parents in the UK are to have the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications in parenting for the first time, it was announced this week.
The qualifications, which are roughly equivalent to a GCSE, will be offered at approved training centres around the country from September this year after being accredited nationally by the Edexcel exam board.
There are no formal exams involved in the course, which educates young people about what to expect during pregnancy and the early years of a child's life. Learners complete units in nutrition and other subjects which build their skills in parenting and citizenship, increase their confidence and improve their lifestyles.
The course is based on the template of two minor accredited courses that have been run successfully over the last six years by the Nationwide Community Learning Partnership (NCLP): Young Mums To Be (YMTB) and Parents With Prospects. Both courses have been integrated and reworked under the government's recently established Qualifications and Credit Framework, which recognises the need for more inclusive and flexible ways of accrediting learning.
Sheila King, national programme manager at NCLP, says national accreditation will open up the courses to more young people. She said this is especially important for "those young people who don't develop at school and need second chances". Many of those who take the courses live in "chaotic circumstances", she added, and will be able to take the course in small units – under the system, learners will be able to acquire nationally recognised awards from completing anything between eight and 120 hours of study.
King says attendance on YMTB and Parents with Prospects courses has been as high as 85%. They were opened up to young fathers three years ago when it became evident that "dads want to know just as much about their unborn babies".
Units cover issues such as how to discipline children without resorting to physical punishment or losing composure.
Sandra, 24, from Gloucestershire, did her first minor accredited course when she became pregnant at 17 after her youth worker referred her to the NCLP. She now has a part-time job in an office. "It prepared me for what was going to happen - how difficult it was going to be, and how to eat properly and take care of my baby," she said.
She says the course is especially important for building the confidence of teenagers who lack support at home. "I felt like I'd been written off. But the tutors encouraged me not to give up on myself – they told me I didn't have to give up on my dreams."
Rebecca, 19, completed the YMTB course in Liverpool before giving birth to her son in 2006. "I've come so far since completing the course," she said. "After having my son I was able to go on to do a level 2 nursing cadetship because I had completed the course. I then had my second son and am now working my way towards a level 3 holistic therapy diploma. I've also just been offered a place at university to do a degree. Without the YMTB course I wouldn't have the confidence to be doing any of these things."
A spokesman for the YWCA charity, which works with disadvantaged young women and is involved in teaching NCLP courses, said: "In YWCA's experience these courses will not only give confidence to young mums (and dads when they attend). They will also help ease them back to further education by helping them realise that they have the abilities to study – and by showing them that going back to education may help make a difference to their and their baby's life."
