Teaching packs to prevent girls as young as 12 being drawn into prostitution are being offered to secondary schools across Bradford.

The initiative is a result of pioneering work in the city by Barnardo's Streets and Lanes project.

Aimed at girls aged 11 to 18, the pack offers teachers a variety of approaches to help them avoid abuse through prostitution and develop positive relationships.

The pack is titled "Things We Don't Talk About" and has beendeveloped over several years in conjunction with Bradford education authority.

It draws on the experiences of girls and young women the project has worked with.

It includes an audio tape which tells a story, based on several real events in Bradford, of how a 15-year-old was abused through prostitution. Streets and Lanes project leader Ginny Wilkinson said: "Prevention is always better than cure.

"From our work with young women at the project we have learned that they rarely value themselves and often lack confidence.

"This makes them vulnerable to abuse and potentially dangerous relationships. It is vital that young women are alerted to the risks before they become exposed to them so that they can recognise potentially harmful situations."

The pack includes worksheets, picture cards and role plays. It is split into three sections, which can be used according to age or as considered appropriate by the teacher.

The first part is couched in general terms and highlights personal safety and how to identify risk.

The second explores abusive relationships and looks at what makes a loving relationship. The final part looks at where girls can go to for help. Helen Lynch, head teacher at Nab Wood School, one of the schools that piloted the packs, said: "The project has been an enormous success with our students.

"It was initially a bit risky because it was a new approach to a very sensitive subject area. But it was a great success."

Bradford senior educational psychologist Paul Brindle said: "The work with schools has raised the profile of this form of abuse and the education pack offers an important resource for schools in helping pupils develop positive relationships in reducing the risk of young girls and young children being abused."

The Streets and Lanes project was set up in Bradford in 1995. Since then workers have come across girls as young as 12 being abused through prostitution in the city.