Two tragic reminders

The apparent suicides of two teenagers from the same North school, weeks apart, has forced into the spotlight the pressures faced by modern teenagers.

If any good can come from the tragic deaths of Karl Peart and now Gemma Dimmick, both pupils at Hirst High School in Ashington, it must be that we find ways to stop young people drifting into what they see as irreversible despair.

The news that Northumberland County Council is to review the help on offer to teenagers in the Wansbeck area facing social and personal problems is therefore welcome.

Teenagers face a range of intense social pressures previous generations may not fully comprehend.

It can be hard enough for an adult to accept life's downsides with stoicism - for a teenager feeling alone or isolated, the world can be a harsh place.

And yet, despite the fact that we can list the main worries of young people - loneliness, fear of failure, bullying, weight problems, drugs - we are sometimes unable to help them cope.

The teenagers' headteacher points to the problem of low self-worth, to the point where it can be termed a mental health problem, among young people growing up in depived parts of the North.

He is right to call for all sides - from police to teachers, from social workers to families - to work together to identify young people drifting into danger.

We do not yet know why Karl Peart and Gemma Dimmick died.

We hope that any findings and recommendations made by the review announced yesterday are disseminated widely - for though Hirst High School is in the spotlight now, this is a double tragedy that could have happened at any of our schools.

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Exploited in more ways than one

No working parent will be surprised to learn of two new reports pointing to the fact that childcare provision lags a long way behind the needs of families.

We are working longer and more unpredictable hours, with those in the service sector in particular expected to work when most other people are not - serving clients in the evenings and at weekends.

Finding good childcare at all remains a challenge, and finding it to fit the reality of working life remains all but impossible. We too easily accept that parents must make huge sacrifices to bring up children, and not enough has changed, despite investment in early years and nursery care.

The consequence is that talented and trained people give up careers, or accept jobs that do not match their potential.

Working parents who are not offered proper childcare feel exploited in more ways than one.

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