Proud childcare students cradle their certificates

The 13 and 14-year-old students used dummy babies and the real thing on their babysitting course which they passed.

They have achieved either a certificate of attendance or a British Red Cross certificate of achievement which includes an emergency first aid qualification.

The latest batch of success stories at the Bognor Regis Community College youth work course follows an initial eight passes on the first course. A third course is planned for the autumn.

The idea for the extra-curricular studies arose from Konnect detached youth project youth worker Vicky Osborne. She suggested the courses and the project was approached by Clair Goddard, the youth wing's youth work leader, who had the British Red Cross babysitters' course pack.

Vicky said: 'The course has five sections and is very comprehensive, with a great deal of useful information on childcare '“ not just for babysitting, but also as a good guide to being a parent.'

The course lasts for ten sessions of two hours. Subjects featured included accident prevention and fire safety, looking after babies with nappy changing, feeding and playing, first aid and working with children with disabilities.

She gave details of the courses at Konnect's latest, and tenth, annual meeting. The project's workers, based at the 39 Neighbourhood Youth Centre, off Glamis Street, made a total of 763 contacts with young people on the streets in the past year. The total was 40pc up on the previous year's 545.

Conversation and acknowledgement made up the biggest form of contacts, at 364 and 268, followed by intervention (86) and observation (24).

Project manager Jason O'Hara reported that nine out of ten conversations covered important and personal subjects. Education, health, relationships and money were the most significant issues.

Initiatives undertaken by Konnect in 2006 were a summer programme of activities, organising a food hygiene course which 17 young people passed and setting up a youth forum for young people to spend 40,000 a year on projects for young people.

One of the annual meeting's guests, Arun District Council's chairman Cllr Graham Tyler, praised the work of Konnect.

'Every time you get a young member of the community misbehaving themselves, it makes headline news. Projects like this should make headline news,' he stated.