PRESTON is making steady progress towards meeting the government's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy targets, thanks to accessible contraception and sexual health services.
The strategy identifies two key targets to be achieved by December 2010: to halve the under 18 conception rate in England, and to work towards the increased social inclusion of teenage mothers through education, training or work by 60 per cent.
Progress
Debbie Dawson, sexual health delivery manager for Lancashire County Council, is overseeing attempts in Preston to reach the strategy's targets in Lancashire. Recent statistics show that progress has been made.
In 2006, there were 109 under 18 conceptions in Preston – a decrease from 123 in 1998. Since then, baseline rate of under 18 conceptions has also decreased by 11 per cent.
Ms Dawson says that one of the biggest factors in reducing teenage pregnancy in Lancashire has been the launch of the Young People's Sexual Health Policy in July this year by a multi agency group, including Talkwise and Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust. Every organisation working with young people has signed up to it.
Debbie Dawson develops strategies with schools, clinics and other organisations in Preston to make help and advice more accessible for young people
Access
This includes schools, clinics and pharmacies. The policy aims to provide more accessible 'level one' care.
This includes advice regarding pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy testing, sexual health screening and pharmacies selling the Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC).
2099 Preston women accessed the free EHC scheme in 2007. 400 of these were under 18.
Preston's Cedar House Counselling Centre offers advice to people of all ages about teenage pregnancies and other issues. Listen to an interview about the therapy the centre offers with one of the counsellors, Ruth Parkinson
Ms Dawson says: "One of the factors affecting the rate of teenage pregnancies locally is the onset of early sexual activity.
"If you have sex under the age of 16 you are three times more likely to get pregnant than someone having sex after 16.
"Also, some low achievers feel like they need something, someone, to love them unconditionally. If they have low aspirations at the age of about ten, there is a chance they will carry these aspirations with them into secondary school."
The key point for teenage pregnancies occurring seems to be the period between secondary school and college. Ms Dawson explains this as being a result of a transitional period, during which time some young people are uncertain about which direction to take.
Ms Dawson and her colleagues welcome the government decision last month to make SRE (sex and relationships education) compulsory in schools for children as young as five. "They need to learn about the relationship side of things as well. That's the bit that was missing." she says.
Clinics
Lorraine Gibbons works with young mothers and aims to raise awareness of sex related risks and responsibilities in local schools.
Lorraine Gibbons is a sexual health outreach manager for Lancashire County Council. She says: “We've found that young people want these services to be more accessible, so they can find help without having to go all the way into town after school.”
Mock clinics have been taking place in local secondary schools, where students have the opportunity to be screened for STDs and talk to the sexual health outreach workers about questions or concerns.
Ms Dawson says: “We are trying to get a 'Delay' message across. Regret is a major issue for young people having sex too early. It's particularly aimed at boys, who might feel the need to be macho and find it difficult to talk about certain issues, like using condoms.”
“We wouldn't say to young people 'Don't have sex.' We are trying to explain safe sex and risk reduction.”
In December 2007, a report from The Daily Telegraph revealed that almost every year, 50.000 girls under 18 fall pregnant in the UK. This puts Britain at the top of the teenage mother league table in western Europe, in contrast to Holland, who have the lowest rate.
Listen to an interview with a 20 year old mother of one from Chorley:
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