News

Drop in teen pregnancy bucks UK trend

05/03/2009
Drop in teen pregnancy bucks UK trend

While the Office for National Statistics yesterday announced that teen pregnancy has risen in England and Wales, Lambeth was pleased to announce it was one of only five boroughs in London able to report a decline.

Since 1998 when statistics began, Lambeth has seen a 12.8 per cent decline in teen pregnancy and a staggering 28 per cent reduction from its peak in 2003.

Ruth Wallis, Lambeth’s Director of Health said ‘We are pleased with the latest figures but we know teen pregnancy is still too high in Lambeth. So we work in a concerted and determined way across the Lambeth children’s and young people’s partnership to continue to bring this down.’

Lambeth PCT, police and the council’s Children and Young People’s Services along with other partners work together to tackle this tough issue, offering services that young people have asked for and helped to shape.

Easily accessible, confidential sexual health services; sex and relationship education is primary, secondary and special schools; and a strong focus on sex and relationship education for boys and young men are some of the strategies that partners have put into place to tackle teen pregnancy.

“We’ve opened young-people friendly sexual health and contraception clinics in different parts of the borough – Vauxhall Riverside, Streatham Hill, plus Camberwell on the border with Southwark,’ said Dr Wallis.

“Sexual health nurses work in schools and youth clubs to give advice on relationships and contraception to young people and we provide training on sex and relationship education for staff working with young people such as youth workers.’

In addition the partners have run the ‘Think B4 Sex’ awareness campaign in Lambeth in 2008. The campaign, which is designed to encourage young people delaying first sexual intercourse, has direct messages like ‘Not everybody’s doing it’ and ‘If you’re hard put it on’ was developed and delivered by young people from the borough.

For more information about the sexual health services available in Lambeth contact Lambeth PCT on 020 3049 4006 or go to www.lambethpct.nhs.uk

Go back to News listings