CYP Now - NCB Now: Comment - Young people need confidential advice

On first reading, the Government's recent proposal that health workers should have to tell the police or social services if under-16s are having sex sounds like a good idea to make sure young people are kept safe from harm.

However, this is more complicated than it seems. In fact, this proposalcould reverse good work done previously to combat teenage pregnancy andsexually transmitted infections.

The fact that information on under-16s would be given to the authoritiesmay well put them off going for sexual health checks, or checkingmethods of contraception. This would most probably increase the rate ofpregnancy and the number of sexually transmitted infections inteenagers, due to less awareness and access to contraception andadvice.

The results of a Brook survey illustrate the issue perfectly.

The poll of 729 under-25s found that 64 per cent would be less likely toseek advice on issues such as contraception, pregnancy and sexuallytransmitted infections if they knew professionals could pass oninformation about them. The figure rose to 74 per cent for under16s.

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