Latest news
30/06/09
Teenage pregnancy rates for Dorset are not be reduced by half by 2010, but by 45%, it has been revealed.
Claire Shiels, Acting Joint Commissioning Manager for Sexual Health and Teenage Conception for Dorset, explains: “In Dorset we’ve negotiated to reduce it by 45% rather than 50% because we’re starting at a lower rate than other areas”.
This means that by 2010, the rate of teenage pregnancy should be reduced to 17.1 per 1000 young women.
Lisa Cousins, Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinator for Bournemouth insists that there has been a misconception in the press that the situation is worse than it is. She adds the figures released in February that showed an increase in teenage pregnancies in 2007 were blown out of proportion: “2007 was a blip […] but since 1998 there has been a downwards trend”.
But even with the Teenage Pregnancy Startegy well under way, there are still doubts to whether the problem will be tackled at such short notice.
Ms Cousins does seem a bit concerned: “It is a very optimistic target even though we are accelerating the work and bringing in new initiatives”.
“It’s not an impossible target but it’s a difficult one”, Ms Shiels adds.
23/06/09
With a scorching summer around the corner, sexual health teams in Bournemouth have decided to take action on teen pregnancies. Lisa Cousins, Teenage Pregnancy co-ordinator for the area is urging teens to use contraception this summer.
But while the NHS in Leicester has opted for a shock campaign with a video in which a teenage girl gives birth in the schoolyard, Ms Cousins wants a more optimistic twist.
“ I think that video is inappropriate” she says, adding “We want to focus on a Grease theme”.
So instead Ms Cousins and the Sexual Health Team in Bournemouth are hoping to distribute condoms on the beach in an echo to the musical’s hit song “Summer Lovin’”. While it is often difficult for teenagers to relate to contraception ads, it is hoped this musical themed campaign will hit home.
Lisa Cousins wants to urge teenagers to think twice before having sex without protection : “We are thinking of distributing keyrings with condoms and useful addresses on them”.
But looking beyond the school holidays, she and her team are also working on a long term project to raise awareness of young parenthood : “We are working with young people to provide to DVDs around real life stories”.
15/06/09
Teen pregnancies on the rise again
New figures show that the Government still has much to do in order to reduce teenage pregnancy rates by half by 2010, according to Lib-Dem MP Annette Brooke.
The Office for National Statistics released its quarterly figures for teenage conceptions and Dorset has an average of 27.9 pregnant teenagers per 1000 women.
Annette Brooke, also Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families, says the Government needs to help local authorities more: “The Government has had some credit actually for introducing a strategy which in this area did bring down the rate but it seems on the rise again, which shows that a lot more needs to be done”.
Analysts have concluded that if teenage pregnancies continue rising like this, a more likely goal to reduce them by half will be 2050, instead of 2010. Many critics say the Government is focusing too much on other problems, and that it is resting on its laurels since the creation of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. “There has to be a bigger drive on this” agrees Ms Brooke, “we need to put more pressure nationally and locally to address the issue and that’s why we’ve had several debates in Parliament”.
09/06/09
New qualifications for teenage parents
As thousands of teenagers sit their GCSEs nationwide, young parents to be are not left behind, as they prepare for newly recognised parenting qualifications.
From this August, the Parents with Prospects and YMTB (Young Parents To Be) schemes will be recognised as Edexcel Qualifications and Credit Framework Awards and Certificate. 
This means teenagers who qualify in at least one of the 12 units available, will be able to continue their studies.
Christine Underwood works at NACRO, Poole, the only centre in Dorset to provide the programs and says the new awards will make a difference for young parents: “It’s a really good award and they can continue into education. If they have their baby they can come back and finish it when they want because they have to years to complete it.”
Different units include delivery, how society views the teenagers, and how to raise a baby and make plans for the future.
Naomi, 20, from Poole, who is pregnant with her second child is currently studying the YMTB scheme and thinks it is a good alternative to normal GCSEs : “It’s all about parenting, labour, pregnancy and all that sort of thing. You can do it on your own experience rather than from a textbook.”
Latest news
30/06/09
Teenage pregnancy rates in Dorset to be reduced by 45% instead of 50% by 2010.
23/06/09
A new campaign to raise awareness of contraception is to hit the beaches this summer.
15/06/09
Teenage pregnancy rates on the rise mean new efforts have to be made.
09/06/09
Dorset young parents or pregnant teenagers prepare to sit their own GCSEs.
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