Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

The National Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Children has launched a campaign in the county to help the government drive down the number of teenage pregnancies.

Let's Talk Sex And Good Relationships hopes to banish embarrassment about the facts of life and encourage young people and their parents to talk to one another.

Target areas

The NSPCC has targeted Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford with a special poster to be displayed in schools, community centres, libraries, leisure venues and doctor's surgeries.

The poster aims to get people talking, and lists organisations where they can get help and advice.

Half of all the young people surveyed by the NSPCC had not had information about sex and relationships from their parents but from friends, and in 2006/07 one in 10 calls to ChildLine were about pregnancy or the facts of life.

Good to talk

Focus groups held in Norfolk revealed a number of young people feel it's their parents' responsibility to talk to them, while many parents say they know they should be talking to their children but often do not know where to start.

Norfolk's NSPCC campaigns co-ordinator, Penny Simmonds, said she hopes their research can go on to make a difference to young people's relationships - both with their parents and partners they go on to make.

She said: "It is so important to raise young people's awareness and understanding of what is a safe and appropriate relationship.

"The young people I have spoken to want parents to talk to them so it's vital that parents feel confident in talking about sex and good relationships."

The former Family Planning Association, now known as the FPA, is offering Speakeasy training courses as part of the new scheme to boost parents' existing knowledge andΜύ confidence.