TEENAGE pregnancies and bullying will be among the issues tackled by York's new children's task force.

The newly-launched Yor OK! Board plans to help reduce the conception rates among under-18 girls by 2008, as part of a number of ambitious targets.

It will oversee York's first plan dedicated to issues concerning its 40,000 young people, in response to the Children Act 2004. The board is required to set out a framework enabling youngsters to "be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and have economic well being".

Its plans include, reducing the number of children looked after by the local authority; increasing the number of parents attending parenting education classes; reducing the number of cases of bullying; improving the educational achievement of children in council care; reducing the number of youngsters who reoffend after being convicted of a crime.

Performance on these issues will be regularly monitored and reported back to the Yor OK? Board, which was launched at the Mansion House yesterday. The event was attended by relevant organisations and co-chaired by Coun Viv Kind and 14-year-old Ashley Mason, of York's Youth Forum.

Ashley, 15, a Millthorpe School pupil, said: "If the board is used properly it should really benefit young people. I hope to try and stay with it and make sure everything progresses as it should."

Meanwhile, York's new Young People's Advisory Panel will hold its second meeting today.

The panel, which first met last month, aims to give the city's youngsters a chance to have their say in matters concerning them, and will enable them to elect their own Young People's Champion.

Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat councillor for Fulford, chairman of the panel and acting Young People's Champion said: "It is really important that young people can elect their own Young People's Champion as soon as possible, so that they can have a direct say in the issues that are affecting them in the community."

The group hopes to have its recommendations in place by September, when the panel can be written into the council's constitution.

York education chief Coun Carol Runciman said the board was "very important".

"The board will be great in bringing together social services, education, health and the voluntary sector," she said. "Some of the work is ground breaking and we are going to launch it with young people."

The panel hopes to achieve a number of aims before 2008. They include:

A reduction in pregnancy rates among girls under 18

A reduction in the number of children looked after by the local authority

An increase in the number of parents who have attended parenting education classes

An increase in the number of child care places available in the city

A reduction in the number of bullying incidents

Updated: 09:19 Thursday, July 14, 2005