Government to help parents tell children about sex

The money will be used to expand Speakeasy, a course for parents run by the family planning association, as well as producing a new advice leaflet to be distributed by 3,000 pharmacies in England.

According to research commissioned for the Department for Schools and Families (DCSF), when parents talk to their children about sex and relationships, the children are more likely to have sex later and to use contraception when they start having sex.

The research also revealed that four in 10 teenagers said they receive little or no information from their parents, with 86 per cent of parents agreeing there would be fewer teenage pregnancies if more parents talked to their children about sex.

Nicola Kelly, programme facilitator for Speakeasy in Bradford said: "We work in partnership with schools, community centres and children's centres, places where parents already feel comfortable.

"We train up local figures within our communities to deliver Speakeasy such as teachers, family learning tutors and parents themselves, which makes parents much less nervous."