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Pregnancy

Pregnancy

If you find out that you are pregnant the news can come as a bit of a shock. You may be unsure how you feel about having a baby but it is important that you make the right decision for you and not necessarily what your parents, boyfriend or friends want you to do. If you feel that you can, talk to your parents or carer but if this feels too hard, talk to someone else you trust. If you don’t know who you can talk to then you can visit your GP, go to a family planning clinic or come to the Medway Youth Trust’s Connexions Centre on New Road in Chatham.

You may have lots of questions about becoming a parent or you may want to discuss what will happen if you decide that you don’t want to have the baby. The sooner you can tell someone, the more options you will have. Your GP or family planning nurse will be able to discuss these with you to help you make your decision. To find your nearest family planning clinic go to www.medway.gov.uk/mixitindex/healthandrelationships/relationships/63667/63670/69104.htm

 

Use our page links below:

Support for teenage parents
Young parents groups – Step4ward
What Next?
Where can I get more help?

Support for teenage parents

There are lots of services which support young people who are pregnant or who are teenage parents. Medway Council has a Teenage Pregnancy Team which employs midwives and health visitors to work specifically with young people.

We (Medway Youth Trust) employ Connexions Personal Advisers who work with young people on a one-to-one basis to help support them with any personal issues. Our PAs can assist with the process of finding housing through to helping a young person and their family settle into their home and can also help if they would like to start work or would like to get back in to learning or training. Our Connexions Personal Advisers are also able to advise on the different types of benefit a young person may be entitled.

For more information on benefits please go to http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/id28.html or www.direct.gov.uk

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Young Parents Groups – Step4ward

Step4ward groups are for young parents and their children, as well as young and mums and dads-to-be. The group is open to single parents or couples and is a chance to meet with other young people, socialise and take part in a structured programme aimed to provide information and advice on a range of topics. At some of the Step4Ward groups young people can gain accredited qualifications as part of the programme. Connexions Personal Advisers, midwives and health visitors attend the groups each week and can also offer advice and support.

For more information on your local Step4Ward group or for details of the programme please contact us (link to contact us)

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What next?

If you are a teenage parent who would like to get back to employment, education or training our Connexions Personal Advisers can discuss your options and help you decide what is best for you and your child. We can book you an appointment to see a careers adviser and if you return to education you may be entitled to Care to Learn funding (this link should be to the relevant bit in the benefits pages) to help cover your childcare costs.

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Where can you go for help?

 

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