In tackling teenage pregnancy, Cornwall Council has taken a holistic approach.
In tackling teenage pregnancy, Cornwall Council has taken a holistic approach. Whether it is the way relationships and sex education (RSE) is delivered to how parents, young people and the children’s workforce are supported, the local authority has ensured no stone has been left unturned as it has driven down the under 18 conception rate by 60 per cent since 1998.
At its heart is strong leadership and accountability. There is a Sexual Health Commissioning Board of senior local leaders, which overseas a sexual health partnership group, composed of front-line representatives and strategic leads from all the main partners. Together they monitor local data, take charge of evaluating projects, carry out consultations with young people and their families and ensure clear approaches to communication are taken.
Sexual health charity Brook offers RSE to secondary schools and offers bespoke support to those who need it, while CLEAR, a local charity, offers a six-week intensive healthy relationship programme. Brook also runs the young people’s sexual health clinics across Cornwall so is able to refer young people from the school sessions to the nearest Brook clinics for young people to be able to access 1-1 advice. Cornwall has also developed a dedicated film and interactive lesson toolkit for colleges and sixth forms. The video combines myth-busting with information about how to access local services.
To complement this are a range of ‘youth-friendly’ services from the Savvy information website – and linked Facebook page and Twitter feed – to the C-card scheme, which is available in over 200 places. Cornwall has also made working with the local care sector a priority. Children who have experienced care are 2.5 times more likely to become teenage parents and are least likely to have received both formal and informal RSE due to both disrupted education and pre-care experiences.
Cornwall has done this by developing a bespoke version of the Family Planning Association (fpa) Speakeasy training programme for foster carers in partnership with the local designated nurse for children in care. It has proved so successful that it is now accepted as a mandatory part of the training programme. Case studies Teenage pregnancy and young parents 13 Training around healthy sexual development using the Brook Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light Tool has also been provided to members of the children’s workforce, including teachers, care workers and youth workers.
There is a core three-hour session which more than 6,000 staff have completed since 2014. More advanced support is then available for those who want it. The final piece of the jigsaw is the support provided to those who do become teenage parents. The Wild project provides a wide range of support to teenage mothers, including help with finances and housing as well as running parenting skills and healthy lifestyle workshops, while Brook deliver a project aimed at young fathers. Also a two-day per week education course – Young Mums Will Achieve – has been set up with the help of Cornwall College and local childcare provider Fit n Fun Kids to help get teenage mothers back into education.
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