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‘Prevention, Everybody’s Business’ Jan Lowis 01522 550524 jan.lowis@lincolnshire.gov.uk. Improving Services: The Need. 80% of 16 – 19’s use condoms after first sex 75% of young people visit sexual health services after becoming sexually active
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‘Prevention, Everybody’s Business’ Jan Lowis 01522 550524 jan.lowis@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Improving Services: The Need • 80% of 16 – 19’s use condoms after first sex • 75% of young people visit sexual health services after becoming sexually active • Half of under 16s and a third of 16-19s DON’T use contraception the first time they have sex • 50% of teenagers that become pregnant have had a least on prescription for the contraceptive pill from their GP and 70% had discussed contraception • 1 in every 10 babies born in England is to a teenage mother
Who Do Adolescents go to For Advice? • For advice about pregnancy – 26% would go to their GP, 34% to nobody, 4% to the School Nurse 30% to a clinic and 5 % to ‘other’ • For advice about STI’s- 18% would go to their GP, 58% would go to nobody, 9% to the School Nurse, 4% to a clinic and 7% to ‘other’
Perceived lack of confidentiality “I thought it was only confidential if you were over 16, I thought they could notify your parents if you were younger” (female 14) • SRE not consistent “Remember 1 lesson in Year 11. May have missed other stuff as I went to three different schools” (female 15) • Access to young people not attending school “Nothing at this school, but I’m not here a lot so may have missed what was said.” No one asks you to catch up with sex do they?” (male 15) • Access to services “If you live in the middle of nowhere, like I do you get stranded once you're home… no way I’d be able to pop along to anywhere just when I needed it.” (male 14) The Barriers
Removing the Obstacles • Where do the vulnerable young people live? • Where do they go to school? • Where do they go to socialise? • Who are the professionals with whom they have already established a trusted relationship?
Training for all professionals working with vulnerable young people • Additional support for excluded young people • Accredited training for parents • Multi-agency C Card condom scheme particularly targeted at the most vulnerable • Specialist Nurse for ‘Children Looked After’ • Intensive support for vulnerable young women • Support for young people with learning disabilities Making it Everybody’s Business
“When you’ve got a problem you don’t want to wait. I talk about sex with (Solutions 4 tutor) when we are cutting down trees.” 16 year old male, Solutions 4 “I would forget (to use condoms) but (youth worker) is always there reminding me to stay safe.” 14 year old male, Youth Centre How does it work?
BMRM International, Evaluation of Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, (2003) • Johnson et al, Sexual Behaviour in Britain, (2001) • Ann McPherson et al, Healthcare of Young People, Promotion in Primary Care, 2002 • Ann Zamorski et al, Tackling Teenage Pregnancy in Lincolnshire, (2002) References