Schools criticised over contraception scheme
REPORT ON TEEN PREGNANCY RAISES CONCERNS WITH CITY SECONDARIES
Calls have been made by councillors for school leaders to explain why they’re refusing to back a contraception scheme.
The comments came during a children education and skills scrutiny committee meeting this week, where a report on teen pregnancy was discussed.
Sunderland’s teen conception data from 2016 shows reductions in rates for both under 16s and under 18s in the city since 2015.
Ahead of a new city public health service – set to start on July 1 this year – councillors and council officers raised concerns about secondary schools and their engageCoun ment with the teen pregnancy agenda
The 0-19 service aims to embed contraceptive advice and support in the role of health visitors and school nurses and to provide sexual health assessment, pregnancy testing and emergency contraception.
Sunderland City Council public health consultant, Lorraine Hughes, who delivered the report to committee, said she also aimed to embed the “C-Card” in the service, which allows young people to claim free condoms.
She explained that the aim was to offer drop-in services that could be delivered on school premises and in other youth services within the city.
But the committee heard that Sunderland secondary schools (11-16 years) had declined to make the services available, despite requests from the public health team.
Philip Tye said: “Schools have declined them the provision to do that? It’s criminal.”
Committee chairman Patricia Smith added: “It’s not good enough that these secondary schools won’t take CCards.”
She added that the issue affects young peoples’ lives and that the committee needs to talk to schools to “make something happens” in future.
In 2016, the rate of teen conceptions in under 16s was 7.7 per 1,000 population (aged 13-15 years) compared to 8.5 the previous year.
For teens aged 15-17 per 1,000 population, the rate in Sunderland was 31.9 compared to 24.6 in the North East and 18.8 in England.
Despite the continued reduction in rates, Sunderland still has the third highest teen pregnancy rate in the North East – behind Middlesbrough and Hartlepool– and is the sixth highest in England.
The committee noted it didn’t accept the contents of the report, but that it supported the teen pregnancy agenda and the council’s efforts to tackle the issue.