Government in England and Wales should identify wards with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and all local authorities should establish close partnerships between the relevant authorities to target support to the most at risk.
- All children should be provided with better, earlier information about sex and relationships.
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So as to help parents talk to their children schools and/or local education authorities should be encouraged to produce local booklets aimed at helping parents address these issues, which should be sent to all parents on their child’s 11th birthday.
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Sex and Relationships Education should be put on a statutory basis in England and in Wales, with an opt-out for individual parents.
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SRE should start young and certainly (at an age-appropriate level) before the onset of puberty
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Sex should be placed in the proper context of relationships and emotional development, giving young people the personal confidence that it is “OK to say no”.
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Any school based programme should not only teach about contraception services, but should provide access to local services, so that a class might for instance visit local services so as to improve self-confidence and break down anxieties.
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SRE has to be well taught, by specialist staff – and as part of a modular programme so that youngsters can acquire confidence to ask difficult questions. In many areas it will be necessary to provide additional training for existing staff – or for health professionals to be trained in SRE.
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All schools and colleges should seriously consider hosting sexual health clinics where students can access information, advice and contraception.
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The work of the Youth Service should be significantly expanded, especially in areas with high levels of teenage pregnancy, so that youngsters can learn about sex in the context of personal development in a less formal setting.
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There should be a national campaign to provide free condoms to youngsters, making them available in places where young people go, aimed at cutting STIs and pregnancies. This should start in the 150 wards in England and Wales with the highest levels of teenage pregnancy.
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Government should target the under 18 population with more accurate information on contraception, encouraging the double protection model (‘belt and braces’) of oral contraception and condoms.
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There should be a sustained campaign in young people’s magazines, akin to the campaign on HIV/AIDS, that provides a consistent message, that does not shift contraceptive use from the pill and that addresses young people’s other concerns around oral contraception.
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Schemes whereby chemists can dispense emergency contraception for free should be extended across the country.
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Every local authority should develop proper programmes of support so that no under 18 year old mother is housed in isolation.
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All colleges should have readily accessible and affordable (or free) childcare.
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Every teenage mother should be ensured an individualized programme that enables her to be in education, employment or training.
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Suitable educational support should be provided for teenage fathers, with an emphasis on financial management, educational opportunities, sexual and personal health and contraception.
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Housing rules should be changed so that the presence of a father does not automatically rule a teenage mother out of a successful application.
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Government should do everything it can to provide active incentives for teenage mothers to engage in education, employment or training and it should actively seek to make ‘mini-jobs’ in the range of 10 hours financially attractive. It should therefore consider an increase in the Income Support disregard, accompanied by an increase in the disregard within Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
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Education about alcohol should be a core part of PSHE in all schools and local authorities should take active steps in coordination with the police to close down off-licenses and pubs that sell (and often rely on their sales) to under 18s.
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The responsibilities and the emotional and financial cost of parenthood – and the consequences of early and unprotected sex – should be a core part of what young people learn through their school, their youth group and the subliminal messages society sends out.
Parents should be the primary educator and empowered to deliver sex education. Talking about reproduction needs to be normalised from reception class upwards by parents and staff.information about all forms of contraception is vital. Your web page only talks about the pill .Its real failure rate is 8 per 100 women years as people forget it . You need to promote depo, implanon and mirena . Boys need a major education programme around sperm management and contraception.
Chris, Porth 2008-01-29 15:06:52
I believe that the important thing here is that we shouldn't get too "preachy", as any "we know best" attitudes will not be readily accepted by young people. Information and access to contraception is needed, but I'm a little reluctant to moralise - this site seems to be suggesting some very reasonable proposals in this regard. However, I'm unsure about the targeting of services in ways described above: while there may be practical reasons for this I fear that it could be seen as branding certain parts of the population or certain areas in a negative manner. It would be more acceptable, in my opinion, to make these policies nation-wide, but to then tailor them to fit in with local needs wherever necessary. Additionally, while I would welcome additional assistance for teenage mothers, we must not put ourselves into a situation where it could be argued that teenagers may actively seek pregnancy: many people are already of the belief that girls become pregnant to get a flat, which is obviously untrue in the majority of cases. However, putting young mothers into a situation which could be seen preferential or beneficial in some way, when compared to non-mothers, could cause some level or resentment. A balance has to be struck - easier said than done though!
Martin Gardner, Havering 2008-01-29 18:13:16
Re Q14 - it is hard enough to get young people to go to chemists for condoms; we need to look at a number of avenues to ensure that young people are accessing the right service for them. Re Q3 - surely this is not just an education issue. We need to inform and educate parents to enable them to talk to their children about sex and relationships to ensure that they are able to make healthy choices.
Jan Bridget, Calderdale 2008-01-29 21:43:38
American research suggests that lesbian, gay and bisexual young people are twice as likely as heterosexual young people to become pregnant or beget a child. I see no reason why this is not also applicable in the UK. SRE should, therefore, ensure sexual orientation is included. For further information see a paper I put together a few years ago on: http://www.lesbianinformationservice.org/pregnancy.rtf
amy ward, Stok - on - Trent 2008-01-30 09:50:32
I agree with all the above, however in areas such as Stoke where the rate is stubbornly static and the deprevation levels and education system historically poor, we have many young people with low aspirations and a culture of early pregnancy pervades. Strong joined up leadership at top level is crucial, education is key and we need to invest in SRE at the earliest point. However we have a lot of children who receive harsh or little parenting and we need to identify them very early on. Incentives for young mothers is a good idea but in entrenched areas such as Stoke where there is a culture of workless households over many generations it may take something a little srtonger. Maybe a caviat to benefit that a young mother attends a traing course of say 16hrs with free childcare in order to access the benefit. I know this is quite controversial but having worked in this field for many years now and trying many intiatives with moderate success, I wonder if the government were brave enough to introduce such a measure if we would see a difference. Access to contraception is crucial in venues used by young people, City Centre advice zones seem to wpork but many authorities can not or will not have them in prominent areas. Also local access to termination services is vital, in Stoke girls have to travel over 40mls leaving at 6.00 am in the morning. Support for teenage parents tends in many areas to be the cinderella service as all efforts focus on prevention. This is a mistake, prevention is vital but the excellent support services in many areas most of whom are still trying to be mainstreamed following on from the Sure Start Plus Pilots should not be overlooked.
Sue Scott, Sotke on Trent 2008-01-30 10:31:44
Welcome the recommednations but feel in areas of high deprivation regeneration of the wider community is vital - appreciate some regeneration being delivered but feel the pace needs increasing.
anon. age 16, Stoke-on-Trent 2008-01-30 15:45:02
Bieng a young age myself, i think that my opinion and of other the same age as me is what you should be listening to as we have just been through this and know what can improve. I think that the sexual education is extreemly poor and in primary school we had one talk which lasted for about 5 minuites and no one could take it seriously. Where we live the public both young and old find it hard to talk about sexual education and it is a thing that we need to over come. Watching the alan titchmarsh show he says that when are kids gooing to be kids. At the age of 11 peope are smoking drinking and being subjected to the older things in life. Kids cannot be kids and will certainy suffer if they do not get taught early and the parents should also take responsability for this. I had to learn everything i know off other people, elder friends and i dont know who they got thier information from. I am sexually active since turning 16 and i feel that i am sensible and do know everything about contracepion. However it worries me about the amount of people who dont know about contraception and also are not aware of how they feel etc. It is a shame that children ahve to be taught this young, but in reality and in the social sturucture that we now live in, it is important to make sure they understand.
Janet Thompson, Brighton Area 2008-01-30 20:20:17
I am a regression therapist. I work all over the world doing workshops and teaching people how to honor themselves. I have for some time been putting together a workshop to appeal to young girls about honouring themselves as woman and trying to make that first menstruation a moment of celebration - an initation - to be thought of as special with a ceremony to bring home this point. In my early teens I gave birth to two babies that I had adopted and found again 30 years later, and although this was in some ways painful and in some ways wonderful it was in no way an ideal way of bringing children into the world. So I do have some personal experience in this area. I am also a Samaritan with Brighton and Hove branch and do the training there. I also work in Lewes Prison training listeners in the Samaritan practice of active listening. When I lived in London a few years ago I worked for Childline. If I can be of any help with your project please contact me.
Ceri Mather, North East 2008-01-31 13:54:26
All very worthy but you have basically just repeated the TPU strategy. We are doing all of these things ( bar the book for 11yr olds) but the rate is still not dropping. Its much more than knowledge these young people have little or no aspiration no expectations for their future and usually no safe secure home life, we have young people who feel safer on the street than at home. If it were simple we would all be doing well . We have excellent partnershps and high level commitment across the board Wish I had the answers1 Good luck
Female, Rhondda 2008-02-10 23:04:57
You've hit the nail on the head in talking about young people's aspirations. I think that youngsters in more affluent areas, with parents who are better educated and employed will have higher aspirations than having a baby whilst in their teens. They're more likely to be planning to go to university, travel or work abroad, get the job they want with a good salary. A Rhondda girl who's not much good in school knows she's not going to have this. If she performs poorly at GCSEs, she will have poorly paid work to look forward to in the care sector, a shop or similar. It will be difficult for her to afford to buy a house or learn to drive. To have a baby is something wonderful, as you say, gives you a purpose. This may seem a much more attractive prospect. In an area where it's not uncommon, in a society where it's no longer shameful, "where's the harm" people may ask?
Suzanne Foster, Tameside 2008-02-13 11:00:37
I have transcribed aproximately 40 teenage parent interview for a project in Tameside. My personal view after hearing Teenage parents in Tameside (please not 'girls' and 'boys') speaking sometimes in great depth about their past makes me consider that the enpasis should be placed more on the issues that these teenagers have had to deal with all their lives such as breakdown of their own parent's relationship, bullying at school, and a lack of self-worth. Giving enphasis to sex education may help in some situations (I agree that access to basic contraception should be better) those teenagers in our society that are already off the rails with regards to school attendance and behaviour will not pay attention to adults requests for them to protect themselves or say 'no'. Intervention needs to be much earlier with care and attention given to them much earlier in life to ensure that they feel good and pround within themselves. Focussing soley on the teenage mum seems to neglect the issues faced by men who become parents in their teenage years, surely this is an issue too. Also of note (Q 16 & 17) - putting young parents back into education can create problems with bonding to their new child - does this not then risk a poor relationship between the parent and their child - working mothers are offered up to a year off with their new child - should this not abe granted despite the age of the parent?
female, rhondda 2008-04-09 15:09:39
I strongly feel that this is an issue that is to remain controversial and ever lasting, as although there are many factors that are apparent such as socio-economic background as well as an individuals nature and nurture, a persons mentality is not to be changed. It is all well and good to reccommend that the government make SRE lessons a compulsory aspect of the school curriculum, but i feel that it is vital that they be provided at a much younger age. This way there will be a higher chance that their sexual behaviour can be influenced. Before we can even begin to cut the numbers of teenage pregnancies we must adress the attitudes that are present in the decreasing society of today. I feel that the problem is only to become worse and i do not see any possibilities of it becoming any better. As a teenager, the initial prospect of becoming pregnant, i must say,terrifies me to say the least. My aim in life is to go on to university and reach my career aspirations and once i have done so only then will i think about settling down and starting a family. I cannot believe how a girl as young as 14 can begin to think about rearing children, as they have no life experiences and probably cannot even look after themselves. A lthough that is meant is the nicest way possible. Even when i hear of a teenager becoming pregnant i say 'oh not another one' and i immediately feel so so sorry for the poor child. There needs to be a change!! Society is becoming worse and not better and these girls will continue on indulging in unprotected sex as they feel that it will 'never happen to them'. You dont have to be highly educated to understand that is not the case. What is the world coming to? stop bringing these poor helpless children into the world if you have no ambitions of caribg for them as you should!!!!!!
Elaine Whyte, London 2008-08-29 17:19:42
I absolutely agree with Fiona from Leeds that parents are the primary educatiors and should be empowered to deliver sex education. Therefore, sex education should not be thrust upon children in schools per se. From an early age children should be taught about valuing themselves and encouraged to have a positive self esteem. They should be taught about abstinence until marrige and told WHY they should abstain until then. Young people are not taught about what happens to them emotionally and physically, when they have sex before marriage - not including unwanted pregnancies, which is always a possibility. You see it is not just about sex education it is about a holistic programme which will include sex education that is needed. I am presently devising a project bearing all this in mind as I sincerely believe that something needs to be done on an unprecedented scale never before witnessed here in the UK. Let's do something other than tell them how to have 'safe sex' outside of marriage.
