Dramatic fall in teen pregnancy (From Swindon Advertiser)

Dramatic fall in teen pregnancy

11:10am Friday 26th February 2010 in

By Andy Tate »

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THE NUMBER of teen pregnancies in Swindon has fallen dramatically over the past year – prompting praise from a Government minister.

Figures published yesterday by the Department for Children, Schools and Families revealed 126 girls in the town aged 15 to 17 fell pregnant in 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, down by 20% from the 158 who got pregnant during the previous year.

At the same time, the so-called “rate” of pregnancies in Swindon fell from 45.9 per 1,000 teenage girls to 36.1 per 1,000.

In the rest of Wiltshire, pregnancies among under-18s fell from 293 to 288 and the rate from 31.6 to 30.3 over the same period.

The progress recorded locally reflected a national reduction in teen pregnancies. Across England, the number of cases fell from 40,366 to 38,750 and the pregnancy rate from 41.7 to 40.4.

Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo said: “I am delighted with the progress Swindon has made in tackling teenage pregnancies in their area.

“It shows that the hard work and dedication of all those working with young people is really paying off. We now want Swindon to work with their neighbours to share best practice and further the impact of their hard work so that even more young people can benefit.”

South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove said: “These figures show that the Government's measures are working and have dramatically reduced the number of teenage pregnancies in Swindon and across Britain. The fall in Swindon is far higher than the national average and this is to the credit of local NHS staff and others.

“However, we must do more to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in Swindon and I welcome the announcement that the Government will do even more to provide advice for young people, parents and schools.”

In 1999, the Government pledged to halve teenage pregnancy rates among girls under 18 by 2012. Ministers yesterday announced £20.5 million to promote the use of contraception and discourage young people from rushing to become sexually active. Health chiefs across the country will share £10 million of the fund to ensure contraception is available “in the right places at the right time”.

Coun Garry Perkins, Cabinet Member for Children Services, said: “Historically, Swindon has been among the areas with the highest number of teenage pregnancies, but over the years these figures have fallen dramatically thanks to the work of staff and partners who battle endlessly to get the right messages across to the young people of Swindon. This is also another testament to our excellent partnership with NHS Swindon.”

The reduction has been attributed to: l Increased investment in improving sex and relationships education across schools, colleges and youth organisations; l Increased availability of sexual health services across the borough; l increased support for professionals and parents; l Links to increased levels of educational achievement in the borough’s schools, such as improved GCSE results.

Comments(18)

Advocatus Diaboli says...
11:31am Fri 26 Feb 10

Makes you so proud. Bless em (",)