‘Respect Yourself’ welcomes contraception poll
Parents across Warwickshire and the West Midlands are becoming less embarrassed when it comes to talking to their teenage children about relationships, sex and contraception according to a new poll.
It was commissioned as part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ Time to Talk campaign and shows that only two per cent of mums and dads in the region would feel anxious if they discovered their 16 to 19-year-old was carrying contraception.
Almost nine out of ten went on to say that they would want to talk openly to their teen as a result – but 40 per cent of young people polled still felt they needed to be secretive about carrying contraception.
The findings also show how many mums and dads are becoming more actively involved in helping their teenage access appropriate contraception – nearly a quarter of parents made appointments for their children to talk with their GP; a third have given their teens details of local clinics; while a fifth have bought contraception to keep at home.
Jenny Whateley, Respect Yourself Campaign co-ordinator, is encouraged by the results of the national poll: “Young people should have access to lots of information about relationships and sexual health, so it is vital that this comes from as many sources as possible.
“Parents have an important role to play to ensure their son or daughter knows where they can go for advice and are available to chat about any issue they might be worried about.
“In Warwickshire, the Respect Yourself Campaign launched a course for parents called "What Should We Tell The Children About Relationships and Sex" two years ago, and have plans for publishing a new leaflet, to be widely available for parents, in the autumn.”
For more information about Warwickshire’s Respect Yourself Campaign, visit http://www.respectyourself.info.
For more information on how to talk to your children about sex and relationships, parents can contact Parentline Plus on 0808 800 2222 or visit http://www.parentlineplus.org.uk