Teen Pregnancy Rates Fall In Wiltshire

Teenage pregnancy rates in Wiltshire have dropped, according to new figures released bu the Office of National Statistics.

Figures for young mums in Wiltshire are lower than the national and the South West average with the number of young women conceiving in the county falling to 30.3 per 1000 in 2008 from 31.6 in 2007.

Denzil Longland, teenage pregnancy coordinator at Wiltshire Council said: “We’ll continue to work with NHS Wiltshire and other agencies to reduce numbers further: An awful lot of hard work has gone into bringing teenage conception rates down in Wiltshire and these figures show we are making progress.

“However, we are not complacent, and will continue to work with young people to ensure they have the right information and skills to make informed choices”.

Plans to reduce rates of teenage pregnancy further in Wiltshire in recent years have included:

The introduction of a scheme called 'No Worries'. This is a confidential service which gives sexual health advice to young people in pharmacies, GP surgeries and youth centres. The network has almost doubled in the last year and has outlets in every corner of the county. Young people can access free condoms, pregnancy tests and emergency contraception. The development of multi-agency health and well-being drop-ins within schools and Wiltshire College where young people can seek advice or be signposted to other specialist services. Work to identify vulnerable groups of young people who may become teenage parents and provide the appropriate support. This includes preventing repeat pregnancies.    Work to improve communication with young people, their parents and professionals. Training of professionals who work with young people in sexual health to ensure effective messages are delivered.

The 2008 under-18 conception statistics can be viewed at www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/teenagepregnancy