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Government fails to deliver on 10-year targets to reduce teenage pregnancy, says Straight Talking Peer Education

Charity calls on the next Government to adopt its proposals in order to make a lasting impact on teenage pregnancy.

Figures released today (Weds 24) by the Office for National Statistics, show a slight fall in the teenage conception rate.

The conception rate for women under 20 decreased by 2.8 per cent between 2007 and 2008 from 61.7 conceptions per 1,000 women aged 15-19 to 60.0 conceptions per 1,000 in this age group.

The Government has clearly failed to make a significant impact with its 10-year Teenage Pregnancy strategy.
In 1999, the Government pledged to halve the teenage conception rate and increase the proportion of teenage parent in Education, Employment or Training (EET) within ten years.
But today’s figures show an overall decrease in teenage pregnancy of just 7.8 per cent among under 20s since 1998.

Today, Straight Talking Peer Education has released its blueprint for change.

With an election looming within months, Straight Talking urges the next incoming government to adopt the proposals contained in its policy report “Taking Responsibility for Young Lives” in order to make a lasting change for the future at this critical time.

The charity’s proposals include:

  • A National relationship and sexual health drop-in service for young people, staffed by young parents who are fully trained to give contraceptive advice, signpost to other services and offer condoms to young people.
  • Implement a national peer education and support programme to address teenage pregnancy and young parenthood across England and Wales
  • A National service to provide every young woman and, where appropriate, her partner, facing an unplanned pregnancy, advice and counselling to enable them to take all the time they need to make the right decision for them at that moment and for the future.
  • Implement a national policy across England and Wales to meet the needs of young fathers and support their commitment to, and involvement with, their children.

Hilary Pannack, Chief Executive of Straight Talking Peer Education, said:

“It is encouraging that the teenage conception rate has fallen slightly but it is not enough.
Every teenage parent costs the state at least £14,000 in the first year after the birth of their child.
Too much money has been wasted on administration of the Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and too few resources have gone into frontline services.
We need to review the strategy to include, among other things, a national program of peer education. This is proven to be not only highly cost-effective, but also to change young people’s attitudes towards pregnancy.
Young people need to be taught not only how not to get pregnant but why not to get pregnant.”

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Notes to Editors:

1) Straight Talking Peer Education is a national charity which exists to drive down the teenage conception rate as well as to support young parents back into the world of education, employment and training. The charity employs teenage parents as peer educators to work in schools delivering a program which explains the realities of parenthood to young people.

2) The ONS said today (Wednesday 24 February): The conception rate for women under 20 decreased by 2.8 per cent between 2007 and 2008 from 61.7 to 60.0 conceptions per thousand women aged 15–19. Conception rates for women under 20 increased between 1995 and 1998, while over the last decade rates have generally fallen with the exception of slight increases occurring in 2004, 2006 and 2007. For the full figures and the ONS press release, visit: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cons0210.pdf

Please call Ian Griggs on 07790 926 292 with all media enquiries

ENDS

To read our policy proposals in full, click here.