Leicestershire has had great success reducing teenage pregnancy rates – latest figures show a fall of over 60 per cent since 1998. But the county council’s public health team has also invested time and effort in supporting young parents.
Central to this work has been supporting parents under 20. The public health team has commissioned the Centre for Fun and Families to deliver a Baby Box Scheme (based on a programme in Finland). The Baby Box project involves giving teenage mums-to-be a box of baby-related gifts, including a Moses basket mattress, blanket, muslin cloth and material for bath time as well as information about local services. The boxes are delivered at the 24-week point and used as an opportunity to engage young people with local services.
After that initial contact, staff maintain a relationship with the teenager and carry out a follow-up call after birth. This provides a second opportunity to support the new young mum in to other support services. A total of 100 boxes are handed out each year. The evaluation of the project suggests it has helped to ease concerns pregnant teenagers have as well as making them more aware of what help was available.
The experience of one youngster, who was pregnant at 15, is typical of the impact. Before receiving the box, she says she felt “isolated and judged”, but the contact and support helped her realise she “wasn’t alone”. She joined an antenatal class and started attending the local sure start centre. The Baby box scheme also helps to steer and refer pregnant women under 20 (with their consent) into relevant support services through the Teenagers with babies’ action group. Teenage pregnancy and young parents 15 This means that young parents have better access to, and are able to engage more readily with, and are given information about local services in their areas and know how and when to access them.
Joshna Mavji Public Health consultant with the council says: “It is only by listening and learning from the real experiences of young parents that services can provide the support they need. We have tried really hard to make sure their voice is heard and that we respond to that.”
Over the years, a wide variety of initiatives have been set up from social groups and breastfeeding support to specific support for parents under 20 on the Health for Under 5s and Health for Teens websites, which contain information about local services.
Young parents are also supported through the Early Start Programme – an intensive health visiting programme to support first time vulnerable parents (including young mothers under 20) during pregnancy until the child is two years old.
For more information contact [email protected]
Bright Futures
Helping children and young people to fulfil their potential is a key ambition of all councils, but our children’s services are under increasing pressure.
Bright Futures is our call for fully funded children's services.