Teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy can be both a cause and a consequence of social exclusion and is more common in areas of deprivation. The poorer outcomes associated with teenage motherhood also mean the effects of deprivation and social exclusion are passed from one generation to the next.

Evidence clearly shows that having children at a young age can damage young women's health and emotional well-being, and severely limit their education and career prospects, resulting in increased levels of poverty and social exclusion. Research shows that children born to teenagers are more likely to experience a range of negative outcomes in later life, and are up to three times more likely to become a teenage parent themselves. Most young parents do not regret having their children but wish they had waited until they were older.

The challenge for Nottinghamshire, therefore, is to provide young people with the means to avoid early pregnancy, but also to tackle the underlying circumstances that motivate young people to want to, or lead them passively to become pregnant or young parents at a young age.

Nottinghamshire’s teenage conception rates are declining alongside national and regional progress; however there are a number of smaller areas within the county where teenage conception rates are persistently high. These areas are actively being targeted with programmes and interventions.

The Nottinghamshire Children's Trust Teenage Pregnancy Integrated Commissioning Group has developed an integrated commissioning strategy for 2014-16 [PDF] to reduce levels of teenage conceptions amongst young people in Nottinghamshire as well as support pregnant teenagers and teenage parents effectively to improve their outcomes.

The strategy includes a map which highlights the wards which are considered hot spots because their rates are significantly higher than the national average. Further information can be found on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) website for Nottinghamshire.

Further support

For more information contact the Integrated Commissioning Hub on:

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