By Jessica Griffiths

In recent years there has been a gradual increase of teenage mothers in the Cannock Chase area where I live. While some people might argue that young women should simply "be more careful", I believe that there is a real problem with lack of information or, at the very least, a lack of awareness about where to find this information.

Children receive their first dose of sex education when they are eleven, but don't receive the next until they are sixteen.

What, then, about outside of school? What help, information and support is provided by the voluntary sector?

After contacting Chase Council for Voluntary Services, I was put in touch with Chase Area Pregnancy Centre. The centre is a voluntary, non-profit organisation and all of its employees are volunteers. Minimum age for volunteer counsellors is 18. There are 150 similar centres all over the country, working together in connection with Care Centres Network.

A part time nurse, who manages the pregnancy centre, told me her reasons for volunteering.

"As a nurse," she said, "I witnessed many young women become distressed after opting for a termination. I decided to volunteer at the centre because I wanted to help support women who had unexpectedly become pregnant.

"There are a lot of confusing messages being given out to young people," she continued. "At the centre, we have the time to help women consider which option would be best for them. We also have a preventative message."

The centre relies upon the community for funding, and accepts any donation big or small. Local churches are regular donators, and the town council also contributes.

Despite being small and not particularly well known, the centre can provide a lot for young women in the Cannock Chase area. To begin with, if a woman thinks she may be pregnant, the centre will provide her with a free and confidential pregnancy test. This can be particularly beneficial to an adolescent girl who may not want to visit her family GP or local chemist.

Counselling is offered to the expectant mother, which will help her to come to terms with her news. She is made aware of all her options and is given support in deciding which option is best for her.

Every counsellor at the centre is a volunteer, but everyone must complete training in order for the centre to maintain professional standards. Counselling training is carried out in understanding crisis pregnancy and post abortion/miscarriage. The counsellors begin with Called to Care Crisis Pregnancy Course, a 50 hour specialist course. Further training is taken if volunteering counsellors wish to become involved with post-abortion or miscarriage support.

Support is offered to anyone visiting the Centre, whatever their situation. Volunteers accompany expectant mothers to antenatal classes and, in the more serious cases, baby equipment and accommodation is provided.

A lot can be done to help women after they experience a pregnancy crisis but the aim of the centre now is to prevent these crises happening in the first place.

A new programme will soon begin, where the organisation will be going into schools to educate children between the ages of eleven and sixteen.

The children will be made more aware of the influences of drugs and alcohol, how to boost self-esteem and self-respect. The aim of this programme is to make young people more aware of improvements they can make to their lives, and to educate them on how to avoid situations such as unwanted pregnancy.

Chase Area Pregnancy Centre

Tel: 01889 574995

email: info@capc.org.uk

Useful links

Care Centres Network

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