The document, Teenage Parents Next Steps, says youth services should work with health agencies to run programmes that help build the social and emotional skills of young parents through positive activities.
The guidance is aimed at local authorities and primary care trusts. It is part of the Governments wider Teenage Preg-nancy Strategy, which aims to reduce teenage conceptions.
The Government hopes to achieve this by improving the life chances of young parents in the long term, but in the short term the guidance is about improving support to teenage parents and avoiding second pregnancies.
The guidance says a lead professional should be appointed to co-ordinate services for young parents in every area. It also addresses the needs of young fathers for the first time, with advice on how to make services accessible to them. Other plans include improving access to contraception. Stephanie Whitehead, policy and development manager at sexual health charity Brook, said: This is a welcome development as teenage parents need all the support that they can get.
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