How borough slashed teenage pregnancies

OLDHAM’S health chiefs have expressed their delight at being praised by the Government for slashing the number of teenage pregnancies.

As revealed by the Evening Chronicle yesterday, Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo singled out Oldham for reducing its under-18 conception rate by 29.4 per cent between 1999 and 2007 — almost triple the national decrease.

Oldham’s Teenage Pregnancy Partnership is behind the success — made up of representatives from Oldham Council, NHS Oldham, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Positive Steps Oldham and the voluntary sector.

A wide range of measures have been taken over the last year to reduce teenage pregnancy rates.

These include:

Sexual health training for teachers, youth workers and Connexions staff to ensure young people receive appropriate advice and guidance on sex and relationships.

Helped parents develop skills to enable them to talk to their teenagers about sex and relationship issues, promoting national initiatives such as parentline and providing leaflets in pharmacies encouraging parents to talk to their children.

Appointing a leader for personal, social and health education for secondary schools to ensure sex and relationship education is taught.

Working with Brook, the pregnancy advisory service, to ensure young people have accessible and confidential contraceptive services six days a week.

Providing access to free condoms in venues used by young people across the borough.

Giving support to teenage parents to ensure they don’t suffer from social exclusion and prevent repeat pregnancies.

Opening the North-West’s first targeted youth support centre (at Positive Steps Oldham) which provides teenage parents the chance to meet others, receive support from health professionals including contraceptive services, and ante-natal care services.

Oldham’s director of public health, Alan Higgins, said: “We are delighted Oldham has been highlighted as an example of bringing down teenage pregnancies through prioritising the government’s strategy.

“We believe this is the result of many years of hard work and commitment through the Oldham Teenage Pregnancy Partnership.”

Ms Primarolo said teenage births have fallen to their lowest level in 15 years but local authorities and health trusts must continue to prioritise the Government’s strategy to bring them down further.