The Government has a target to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy by 50% by 2010. It also aims to ensure that appropriate support is given to young women who do become pregnant in their teenage years.
Coventry has an under 18 conception rate which is above than the national average and therefore has a higher target to reach to reduce under 18 conceptions by 55% by 2010. It also has a target to provide support for teenage parents, to reduce the risk of long term social exclusion of teenage parents and their children and to get 60% of teenage mothers back into education, training & employment by 2010.
In 2006 the DfES published Teenage Pregnancy Next Steps: Guidance for Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts on Effective Delivery of Local Strategies (PDF1133k). This and other national issues and priorities (Word 26k) provide the context for Coventry's Teenage Strategy (downloadable file).
The strategy is delivered through partners across the city and is managed by Coventry Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Board, a sub-group of the Children and Young People’s Local Strategic Partnership. It monitors implementation of the strategy and 10 year action plans for prevention and support for teenage parents. Coventry has Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators for each of the two action plan areas.
A wide range of agencies are striving to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies by improving sex and relationship education (SRE) and contraceptive services to enable young people to delay sex until they are ready to protect themselves when they do become sexually active.
There is more information about sexual health issues in this directory, including details of websites specifically aimed at young people
The Hospital Education Service (external website) is a team of teachers and other education support staff who provide education for school age children who are unable to attend their usual school temporarily due to accident or illness, or teenage pregnancy and young motherhood. The team includes the Reintegration Officer-school age pregnancy. A checklist for referring pupils (Word 24k) to appropriate support has been developed for schools.
The DfES Teenage Pregnancy Unit (external website) describes the Government's strategy and how it is being implemented at a local level. It provides a range of guidance and publications including information about the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy, specific guidance for schools about the delivery of Sex and Relationship Education, the education of school age parents, and about the provision of young people's contraceptive services.
Practical guidance documents for Children’s Centres are available on the Sure Start web site. These include guidance about working with Fathers (section 11) and about working with Teenage Parents (section 12).
The JCJ solutions website also provides details of a regional project and guidance for those working with pregnant teenagers and teenage parents in the West Midlands.
Coventry's 2008 Teenage Pregnancy Strategy is currently being developed and will be available to download from this site in the near future.
