County Durham Local Teenage Pregnancy Strategy - Full Document

• Outreach workers linking contraceptive services with vulnerable young
people
Sexual Health Outreach Workers have been appointed in four of the six PCG
areas. Each area will have a worker in 2001/2002. Their task is to act as an
advocate for young people in using the contraceptive care services, and to
provide Outreach work particularly targeted to settings where young people are
known to be at risk, including children in the looked after system, young
offenders, young people outside mainstream education, young people who are
homeless or with housing difficulties. A further group the Outreach Worker link
with is teenage mothers as a first point of contact when pregnancy is confirmed if
this is not already addressed by health and social services. Follow up could
include encouraging them to access contraceptive services, which does not
always happen despite their experiences. Where possible the Outreach worker
would also link with generic schools and youth services, and would be an access
point for teachers and school nurses encouraging young people to make use of
the services for the first time. In addition the proposal for a protocol to ensure
consistent follow up of young people using emergency contraception, would be
enhanced by the ability to offer an appointment with the Outreach worker, or for
the Outreach worker to directly contact the young person.
• A Tackling Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinator has been appointed for County
Durham and Darlington.
Action plans already underway or agreed (A)
• Easington PCG
Subgroup is working on contraceptive provision
• Emergency contraception from Pharmacists
This will take place in line with National Guidelines and over the counter
availability will be based on patient group directions.
• Sex Education Roadshow
In Darlington teachers are included as part of the target audience for a ‘sex
education roadshow’ training event within the next three to six months
The resource boards have been purchased by Health Promotion Units in County
Durham and are available through that service.
• Standards Fund 2000-2001 Teenage Pregnancy Grant 19E (94,000)
Activity Two – Proposals
(see section 3.1 for Activity One Proposals)
Funding has been developed in schools in ‘at risk’ areas in order to target
vulnerable young people. An action research project involving a ‘menu’ of
preventative approaches has been provided to enable individual schools to select
suitable approaches linked to the Healthy Schools Initiative. A small amount of
funding will be retained by the LEA to cover an external evaluation of both
activities.
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