Coventry has the third highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the West Midlands and the West Midlands has the slowest level of decline.  The Coventry Chlamydia positivity rates (8%) are higher than the national average (7%).   Improving young people's sexual health is vital to helping them towards healthy adult relationships.

Research evidence and recent consultation undertaken with workers, parents and young people in Coventry demonstrated that key teenage pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's) preventative approaches are effective RSE and improved access to contraception and that workers working with young people should be delivering these services. 

To reduce the teenage pregnancy and STI rates we need to adopt a partnership approach to ensure that young people have the knowledge and confidence to resist pressure to have early sex and to prevent early pregnancy and STI's when they do become sexually active.  

To support workers working with children and young people to deliver this partnership approach we have worked with a range of partners to develop a Relationship and Sex Education and Sexual Health Services Policy which is supported by an interactive training programme.

To ensure the training programme is sustainable we are recruiting a pool of Training the Trainers who will be at the forefront of the work programme to reduce the Coventry Teenage Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) rates.  

The trainers will be trained over four days to deliver the following:

• Level 0a training  - support workers to confidently provide effective relationship and sexual health information, advice and guidance
• Level 0b training  - increase the provision of accessible contraception and Chlamydia services

Course dates and venues

22nd and 23rd April 2010         WEETC, Robin Hood Rd, Willenhall  
29th and 30th April 2010          WEETC, Robin Hood Rd, Willenhall
 
17th and 18th May 2010            WEETC, Robin Hood Rd, Willenhall
24th and 25th May 2010            WEETC, Robin Hood Rd, Willenhall

You must have your manager's support to take advantage of this opportunity. 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Jane Craig, Respect Yourself Programme Manager - Teenage Pregnancy Prevention on jane.craig@coventry.gov.uk or 024 7683 4996. 

We will disseminate the dates for the Level 0a and Level 0b training sessions as soon as they have been scheduled.