Resources: Workplace - Teen pregnancy under spotlight

The Department for Education and Skills' revised teenage pregnancy strategy, published this month (YPN 13-19 September 2006, p2), sets out how the Government will hold to account local authorities that have made the least progress in tackling teenage pregnancy rates, and calls on them to target social and relationships education to hot-spot areas. While Worcestershire's teenage pregnancy rates are not as high as in some parts of the country - with 346 under-18 conceptions in 2004 - and are showing a slight decrease, it has hot spots where rates are relatively high.

THE SOLUTION

South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust has taken advantage of a series of national workshops run by consultancy Adams Painter Associates, after liaising with the Teenage Pregnancy Unit's advisory group. The advisory group's research found a trend of young people regretting the early age at which they had had sex. One workshop, called Let's leave it till later, aimed to empower staff to encourage young people to consider alternatives to having early sex. It wants staff to engage young people on this topic without moralising, which has the potential to deter discussion.