Databank. Drop in teenage conception rates
Databank
Drop in teenage conception rates
Figures published recently show a fall in teenage conception rates in 1999. There was a 7 per cent drop among the under-16s and a 4 per cent drop among the under-18s. The Government's Teenage Pregnancy Unit aims to halve the rate of conceptions among under-18s in the UK by 2010 and set a firmly downward trend in the conception rates for the under-16s by 2010. Since March 2000 there has been a pregnancy co-ordinator for every social services authority in the UK supported by eight regional co-ordinators. Local work includes providing teenagers with information and support on the risk of teenage pregnancies, handling peer pressure and relationships, information on contraception, and advice and support for pregnant teenagers. The Unit also hopes to achieve a reduction in long-term social exclusion for teenage parents and their children by getting more teenage parents into education, employment or training.
