Teenage Pregnancies (Hansard, 14 June 1999)

§ The Prime Minister

Last summer, I asked the Social Exclusion Unit to develop an integrated strategy to cut rates of teenage parenthood, particularly under-aged parenthood, towards the European average and propose better solutions to combat the risk of social exclusion for vulnerable teenagers and their children. I am publishing its report today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The UK has the highest rate of teenage births in Western Europe. Teenage parenthood is a problem that affects every part of the country, but it is far worse in the poorest areas and among the most vulnerable young people whose expectations and aspirations are low. The health and social outcomes for teenage parents and for their children are stark and worrying.

The Social Exclusion Unit has undertaken a rigorous review of the evidence both nationally and internationally. It has found that three key factors contribute to our internationally high rates of teenage conceptions: low expectations of the future among many young people; ignorance about contraception and the reality of life as a parent, and mixed messages from adults about sex and relationships.

The report sets out a national programme with two specific goals: to halve the rate of conceptions among under 18 year olds in England by 2010 and to lessen the risks of young parents suffering the consequences of social exclusion by getting more teenage parents back into education, training or employment. A £60 million package has been put together within existing departmental resources to support the programme for the period of this spending review, and further funding will be considered in the next spending review.

At a national level, a new task force of Ministers, led by the Minister for Public Health, will be responsible for co-ordinating the policy across Government supported by an implementation unit in the Department of Health. There will also be a National Advisory Group to advise Government and monitor the success of the strategy. Locally, every Health Authority and Local Authority will be tasked to work together in preventing pregnancy and in supporting pregnant and parenting teenagers, setting local benchmarks for progress. Areas with high rates will be eligible for resources from a local implementation fund of £26 million.

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There will be a national publicity campaign to reinforce the report's key messages. New guidance will be issued to improve sex and relationships education in school with an emphasis on enabling teenagers to resist pressure to have sex too early. There will be better inspection of sex and relationships education and better training for teachers. Parents will be consulted and informed more fully about sex education in schools and given more support in talking to their children about sex and relationships. Special action will be targeted on prevention for the most vulnerable groups including children looked after by a local authority, those excluded from school and young offenders.

The NHS will improve access to contraceptive and sexual health services for teenagers, including young men. New guidelines will set out the counselling that should accompany contraceptive treatment for under 16 year olds and there will be publicity to tell young people that they can talk to health professionals about sex and contraception in confidence.

For those teenagers who do become pregnant we will pilot a new approach to support and childcare—'SureStart Plus' pilots based in areas covered by both SureStart and Health Action Zones. In addition, five pilots outside SureStart will test other ways of providing child care for 16–17 year olds to enable them to return to education or training.

Under 16 year old mothers will be required to return to education. 16 and 17 year olds will be included in the ONE pilots (formerly Single Work Focus Gateways) and will have a personal adviser to look at their options, with the emphasis on a return to education. 16 and 17 year old parents will be able to take part in the Education Maintenance Allowance pilots from September 1999. By 2003 all 16 and 17 year old mothers who cannot live with their parents or a partner will be offered supervised semi-independent housing with support, not a tenancy of their own.

The right to be a parent carries with it the responsibilities of parenthood. The Child Support Agency will vigorously pursue the non-resident parents of children born to teenagers to reinforce the message that, regardless of age, they are financially responsible for their children.

The target the Government have set to reduce teenage pregnancy is ambitious, but it is the least that we should set ourselves if we are to tackle a problem that has been neglected for too long.