Councils urged to adopt best practice on teen pregnancy

Children’s minister Beverley Hughes today urged councils failing to cut teenage pregnancy rates to adopt best practice from successful authorities that have targeted support at vulnerable children such as those in care.

As part of the government’s drive to tackle social exclusion, Hughes published a report on implementing the teenage pregnancy strategy until 2010, and highlighted a number of councils, including Thurrock and Gateshead, that were performing better than the rest.

Thurrock has employed a specialist health worker for vulnerable young people, such as children in care, while Gateshead has dedicated sexual health workers for looked-after children.

Hughes welcomed an 11.1 per cent reduction in teenage pregnancy rates in England since the launch of the teenage pregnancy strategy in 1999, but said the improvement could have been a lot better if all councils had performed as well as the top quarter.