Nursing team set up to help young parents

A TEAM of nurses dedicated to teenage parents has been recruited by NHS Lothian.

The Family Nurse Partnership programme is aimed at providing healthcare and support for first-time mums and dads in Edinburgh who are under 19.

The first of its kind in Scotland, the program hopes to provide a better, healthier start for children with its highly trained specialist nurses who will provide home visits during pregnancy and the first two years of the baby's life.

The Lothian nurses have undertaken specialist training and will offer guidance on breastfeeding, child development, parenting skills, future pregnancy planning and preventive health measures such as help with alcohol or cigarette dependency, better diet information, advice on better financial planning and advice for mothers wanting to go back to education or employment.

The new team will begin seeing parents at the end of January.