Action plan to cut down on teenage pregnancies
10:15am Monday 23rd October 2006 in News By Jane Lavender
SOARING teenage pregnancy rates have prompted Bolton's health bosses to launch an action plan to cut the number of gymslip mums.
According to figures released earlier this year, a record number of teenage girls became pregnant in Bolton - including one aged just 12.
But the borough's health bosses insist work is already well under way to reduce the rates - and that they have further plans ready to be launched.
Jayne Littler, the lead for teenage pregnancy and sexual health for the Primary Care Trust and Bolton Council, said: "The reasons behind teenage pregnancy are unpredictable, but they can be connected to living in a deprived area where young people have low educational attainment, if they are living in care, if they are a daughter of a teenage mum, or if they have low self-esteem or no aspirations because of a lack of support."
The number of pregnant girls under the age of 18 reached a record 296 in 2004, the latest year for which statistics are available.
Bolton had the second highest increase among the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs in the last six years, at 5.3 per cent, with only Manchester having a bigger increase with a 6.3 per cent rise.
This is compared to an average 11.1 per cent fall in England during the same period.
The areas with some of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy are the most deprived in Bolton, including Tonge, Breightmet, Farnworth and Halliwell.
Despite the poor figures, Bolton has the highest number of teenage mums back in further education in the country, and the third highest number for young mums in further education, work and work-based training, behind Croyden and Greenwich.
It is hoped that the opening of the Parallel young people's health centre in Bolton town centre in 2004, which is the only youth health centre in the country, will start to have an impact on future figures as teenagers have somewhere to go to speak to people in confidence.
Plans are already underway to open satellite centres in Farnworth, Breightmet or Tonge, Johnson Fold and West Bolton.
Sex education is being bolstered in schools, and work is being carried out with the groups most at risk of becoming teenage mums.
Social workers, foster carers, and anyone who works with young people are being trained in how to talk to teenagers about sex.
Youth services will be re-organised so teams are area-based and can build stronger links with young people in specific communities.
Mrs Littler said: "We won't just be pointing young people in the direction of health services, we'll be talking to them about their self-esteem, confidence and about respecting themselves, so if they aren't ready to have sex then we can still support them and help them delay that decision until it's the right time for them.
"We're already doing a lot and everyone in Bolton is working together, but there isn't a magic answer and no one service can do it alone, we all need to work together."
