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By offering targeted services and mounting campaigns on contraception, alcohol and delaying sex, Brighton and Hove City Council has seen teen pregnancy rates fall significantly, says Vanessa Brown. It is a scandal that Britain has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in western Europe. With more than 41,000 under-18s pregnant in 2008, latest figures show a teen pregnancy rate of 40.4 per 1,000. Cllr Vanessa Brown Local authorities throughout the country have attempted to tackle this problem – with varying levels of success. While the average national fall stood at 13.3%, the numbers of under-18s becoming pregnant in Brighton and Hove fell by 25% to the lowest rate in the city since records began. From a ‘baseline' rate of 48 per 1,000 of under-18s who fell pregnant in 1998, the level has dropped by more than one-quarter to 36 per 1,000. And while 187 teenagers became pregnant in 1998, that figure had fallen to 150 in 2008. The figures are encouraging, and while it's early days, the impact that our services appear to be having deserves closer examination – especially from what we know about the impact that teen pregnancy plays on young lives. Not only is there a strong link between teen pregnancy and social deprivation, but teen parents and their children are at increased risk of living in poverty and suffer poorer health than other residents. Historically, our city has had high levels of teen pregnancy, but through our Teenage Pregnancy Action Plan, which was launched last year, we have orchestrated a turning point.. Our action plan meant drawing up a leadership strategy involving the children and young people's trust, NHS Brighton and Hove, and the council. Last year, we held a ‘leadership' conference for all staff involved in the issue and, during this, we fleshed out six objectives. These included challenging existing local cultural ‘norms' around sexual activity, identify those at risk, developing the young people's workforce so they are properly equipped, and rolling out services which change behaviours. And this has seen results. Recent local statistics show more than 200 teenagers considered ‘at risk' of unplanned pregnancy have learned about the dangers of alcohol misuse, the role of contraception, and the importance of delaying sex until they are ready. Campaigns and services which focused on engaging with young people on issues around alcohol and healthy sexual relationships have helped deliver the fall. The initiatives employed the results of a ‘mystery shopper' exercise to test and improve the advice services on offer, and identify more effective ways to change teen behaviour around sex. We ran campaigns which involved 22 professionals from six different services that ‘at risk' young people called ‘I am safe' last summer, and ‘R U ready for the holidays' over the winter. We also tackled ‘proxy purchasing' to warn adults against buying alcohol for underage drinkers. For the first time in a decade, our teen pregnancy rates are falling, and this is down to close partnership work. Case Study: Interview with Brighton and Hove City Councilservice-user Susie – not her real name – aged 15 Do you drink alcohol and has your attitude to drinking changed over the last few years? I used to feel as though I had to drink with my mates to be part of the group. We used to go around to some of my mates houses and party. It's easy to get and I would get out of my head. My mum drinks lots and that is what I used to see. But now I don't really like getting that drunk, and at least one of us stays sober to make sure our group is fine. How ‘risky' was your sexual activity before you came into contact with the advice of our services? I used to think that everybody else was doing it so it's fine, and everybody makes mistakes. I had only had sex once. It wasn't until I had the biggest scare of my life when I actually thought I was pregnant, my friend told my about the service and how nice her worker was. So, we went together, and found out I wasn't pregnant and had a very good chat about contraception – and I made the right choice. In what why does alcohol influence whether or not young people use contraception? When you're drunk, it's all fuzzy, and you go along with it. All your good ideas go out the window, and that's when mistakes happen. That's why you need to have your contraception sorted out, and feel confident to use condoms. How has the one-to-one work with the advice service improved your alcohol and sexual activity safer? It has taught me to have more respect for myself, make the right decisions when it comes to sex, and that only I can keep myself safe. It's weird, because I have started doing all of that and I feel so much better about myself. Why is it so important that young women get advice around alcohol and sexual health? All my mates seem to think you can drink and have sex with lots of people and nothing will ever happen. It's not until you get a scare or wake-up call and realise that it's not a way of life. At the advice centres, the staff work with you to improve your life skills and help you make better decisions – and they provide excellent support. I visit them on a weekly basis and feel that my life has changed so much in six months. Cllr Vanessa Brown is cabinet member for children and young people

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WHITEHALL

Orchestrated campaign cuts city's teen pregnancy rate

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