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Hertfordshire
teenage
pregnancy
Autumn 2008
Strategy
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WELCOME to the First interactive teenage pregnancy
strategy newsletter for professionals working with
young people, pregnant teenagers and young parents
in Hertfordshire.
CONTENTS
■■ T
ring school’s sex and relationships
peer education scheme
■■ Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Chlamydia Screening Programme
■■ A
new, ‘high tech’ resource for working
with young people
■■ T.I.C. T.A.C. T.A.S.
■■ E
ducation Support Team for
Medical Absence (ESTMA)
■■ Care to learn
■■ National updates
■■ F
ree multi-agency teenage pregnancy
and sexual health training
■■ Free local TP resources
■■ Future issues
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Tring school’s sex and relationships
peer education scheme
T
he peer education scheme is an
important part of the overall
programme for SRE at Tring School.
When we review the SRE programme
with the Year 13 students, before they
leave, or with our School Council it
always stands out as the highlight of the
programme and PSHE as a whole.
We of course use a range of health professionals
as well as teachers to deliver the majority of the
programme but the highlight for students, the
peer education scheme, is delivered by Year 12
students to our Year 9 students.
The Year 9 students receive their peer
education over a double lesson, normally with
break in the middle. Each lesson is delivered
by three Year 12 students. The focus for the
lessons are contraception, STIs and healthy
relationships. The class teacher remains
outside the classroom for the duration of the
lesson. Although teachers new to the scheme
are concerned by this, every year a number
of staff comment on how well the students are
behaving in the lessons.
These lessons are the culmination of a lot
of hard work. Crucial to the success of the
scheme is the recruitment and training of the
Year 12 students. I have found this group
of volunteers are often made up of different
individuals to those who usually volunteer for
extra curricular activities. Recruitment can be
difficult, after all, you are asking them to deliver
lessons that some teachers are not comfortable
with. However it does make an excellent
addition for their UCAS forms.
To train the year 12 students I take them
out of school, hire a village hall for the day
and provide lunch. This helps bring the
group together because most are slightly
nervous before the start of the lesson and the
camaraderie helps to overcome the nerves.
It also allows us to really focus on the work
whilst maintaining a more relaxed atmosphere.
We start the day by discussing, what we want
to achieve as well as classroom management
techniques. We also talk about boundaries
and child protection issues. We have two tried
and tested lesson plans, one on contraception
and STIs and the other on relationships. These
include a lot of fun and kinaesthetic activities,
including how to put a condom on, which we go
through in detail, giving the six formers lots of
opportunities to practice in their threes and
role-play as a whole group. As we go through
the lesson plan for the first time we also give
the students supplementary information to aid
their own understanding of the subject.
I believe this is a valuable addition to the SRE
education of our students even if some might
consider it unconventional. We assess the
knowledge of our students in a lesson a week
or two after the event and although the more
academic can recall much more even our
weakest students knew about the importance of
wearing a condom to protect against pregnancy
and STIs. Some people worry that sex
education promotes promiscuity. They believe
that it makes students think it’s normal to have
sex at their age and all their peers are doing
it. However, in the relaxed setting of a peer
education lesson, many of the Year 12 students
report that the unfamiliarity with condoms and
resulting chatter makes it obvious that the vast
majority are not sexually active.
lease feel free to contact me if you are
P
interested in this scheme
Nick O’Connell (Lifeskills Co-ordinator,
Tring School) [email protected]
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Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Chlamydia Screening Programme
CHLAMYDIA - The Silent Infection
All you need to know…
T
he National Chlamydia Screening
Programme is being rolled out across
Hertfordshire. The service locally is known as
the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Chlamydia
Screening Programme. This programme is
aimed at young people aged between 15-24
years who are sexually active. The programme
is to reduce chlamydial infection among young
people.
Current data shows that 1 in 10 sexually active
young people in this age group are testing
positive for chlamydia. Chlamydia is the UK’s
most common and curable sexually transmitted
infection. Approximately 70% of women and
almost half of all men with chlamydia have no
signs or symptoms, which is why chlamydia is
often known as the ‘silent infection’.
In women it can cause pelvic inflammatory
disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
In men it can lead to painful infection in the
testicles and reduced fertility.
Screening for chlamydia is simple and is
undertaken by just providing a urine sample.
The treatment for a positive chlamydia result is
in most cases a single dose of antibiotics.
Our local screening office will manage all test
results and follow up of people screened.
Results of the screen can be offered by post or
text. Any young person who is found to have
a positive result will be given support to get
further screening and assistance of contact
tracing any previous partners who may have a
positive result.
Screening is taking place in family planning
clinics, general practices, youth services and in
universities, colleges, and some schools.
Young people can also get screened by
logging on to our website www.c-sure.org.uk
and requesting a confidential home testing kit.
A home testing kit can also be requested by
texting the word KIT followed by your name
and address to 07781472981.
Our chlamydia screening programme is a
confidential service. This means that no
information will be disclosed to anyone without
prior consent. By taking this screening
opportunity, young people are empowered to
take responsibility for their own sexual health
whilst reducing the prevalence of chlamydia.
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A new, ‘high tech’
resource
for working with
young people
T
he Hertfordshire Children’s
Trust Partnership has
launched a new youth portal for
the county called Channelmogo.
This website is designed for all 13 to 19-yearolds (up to 25 with a disability or a learning
difficulty). Young people have been involved
in its development at all stages to ensure it
answers their needs.
Further interactive elements offered by the site
are vidcasts, mp3 downloads, reviews, youth
event promotions and competitions.
Young people are encouraged to submit
reviews, video and music clips.
There’s also an interactive map that helps users
to find out where activities are taking place near
to where they live by entering their postcode.
There is also an events section where agencies
are encouraged to promote their events to
young people.
The site offers young people a ‘survival zone’
with a range of information on everything from
alcohol, sex and relationships to driving, youth
rights and bullying. The information is linked
into local services, one-to-one support provided
locally by Connexions Personal Advisers and to
online 24/7 support from Connexions Direct.
Once on the site, young people will also be
offered the opportunity to register if they want
to take part in discussion boards, votes or
web chat as these elements are moderated by
trained staff.
Youth Connexions Hertfordshire, who have
been the lead agency in developing the site, are
inviting young people to take part in meetings
to review the publicity and marketing and make
suggestions on what they feel the site needs.
Young people interested in taking part should
contact [email protected]
for details.
series of group work session plans will be
A
available to support staff using the website in
their work with young people. If you would like
to receive the resources pack please contact
[email protected]
Log on at
www.channelmogo.org
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Teenage Information Centre, Teenage Advice Centre, Thomas Alleyne School
(T.I.C. T.A.C. T.A.S.)
T.I.C. T.A.C. T.A.S. suite is a dropin facility provided by multi-agency
professionals working together to
support a variety of students on a
range of issues.
The lunchtime and after school facility offers
students a local reference point to talk to
someone, find out information or pick up a
leaflet on a related subject. Students can be
signposted to the appropriate services if more
support is needed.
Students have access to a range of information
and advice including issues such as sexual
health, coping with bullying, emotions, literacy,
pregnancy, careers advice, behaviour and
the law. They need to know where they can
easily get the information, with little effort, no
embarrassment and minimal explanation but
maximum impact!
Fund (The Big Spend) to refit the dedicated
space to be more student friendly and
appealing.
The professionals involved believe it to be a
vital, worthwhile service which signposts to full
services – reaching the hard to reach! For further information please contact
Adrienne Arthurs Extended Schools’
Co-ordinator – North Stevenage Mobile
07769 974834
WNT 2
TLK?
A more recent development at the centre is a
post box with the strapline ‘ WNT 2 TLK?’ for
students to make a more private request for
support and linking in with the peer mentoring
at school. Two sixth form students have
successfully bid to the Youth Opportunities
Education Support Team for Medical Absence
(ESTMA)
Remember school doesn’t have to
be interrupted if the young person is
pregnant or a teenage parent!
Education support is available for school age
pupils from 29 weeks of pregnancy.
Pupils are encouraged to stay in school as long
as possible before the birth of the baby. Support
can be offered for up to 18 working weeks in
total, if needed. ESTMA works closely with
the young person and family, school, teenage
pregnancy midwives and Youth Connexions
teenage pregnancy personal advisers, to
ensure that the support provided is appropriate
for each individual case.
Further information can be obtained from
the Customer Service Centre 01438 737500
(callers from 01923 or 0208 dialling codes
may wish to call 01923 471500 in order to be
charged at local call rates).
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CARETOLEARN
A new Hertfordshire flyer
promoting Care to Learn is about
to be distributed to a range of
professionals working with
young parents.
Some young parents may be interested in taking
up a course or other learning or development
opportunity, but worry about how they would
meet childcare costs. Care to Learn can meet
these costs and can be claimed by young
parents under 20 who:
• look after their child or children
• a re attending or want to attend school, college
or a course whether leading to a qualification
or not
• use registered childcare.
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Care to Learn can also
be used for help with
travel costs, homework,
revision or placement
time, a trial period of childcare and holding a
childcare place open. Young parents do not
need to be single parents or on benefits to claim
Care to Learn. It doesn’t affect any benefits the
young person or their family might be claiming
and it doesn’t matter how much the young
parent or their family may earn.
The new Hertfordshire flyer uses the same
branding as the national Care to Learn leaflet
but is much more brief and also contains local
details about where to get information about
childcare and how to access help with claiming
Care to Learn.
The good news is that the number of young
parents claiming Care to Learn has been on the
increase in Hertfordshire over recent months,
with over fifty young parents now in receipt of
the benefit. This is a positive step, and a trend
that we hope to see continue.
If you would like to know more about
Care to Learn or have any queries on
behalf of young parents you are working
with, please contact a Youth Connexions
teenage pregnancy personal adviser by
calling 01992 531963 and asking to be
put through to the adviser in your area.
RN
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National Updates
TEENAG
INDEPE E PREGNANC
ND
Y
ADVISO ENT
RY GROU
P
Adolescent Pregnancy
The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group’s fifth
annual report was published in July 2008.
Document Link: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_
files/TPIAG%20Annual%20Report%202007-8.pdf
Annual R
eport
2007/08
3835_G
etting
matern
ity rig
ht_
A5_aw:
Getting maternity services right for pregnant
teenagers and young fathers
A practical guide for midwives, doctors, maternity support
workers and receptionists.
Copies can be obtained from DCSF
(tel: 0845 60 222 60 quoting reference 00332-2008BKT-EN)
You can download this publication or order copies online.
http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/health/
teenagepregnancy/guidance/
Layout
1
12/6/0
8
09:59
Page 1
Getting
matern
ity servic
right fo
rp
e
and yo regnant teena s
ung fath
gers
ers
Teenage Parents: who cares?
A guide to commissioning and delivering maternity services
for young parents, DCSF, published 11 July 2008.
Copies can be ordered free of charge from Prolog
(tel: 0845 60 222 60 quoting reference 00414-2008BKT-EN).
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/teenageparents/
downloads/Teenage%20parents.pdf
“Are you getting it right? A toolkit for counsulting
young people on sex and relationships education”
Written by Anna Martinex and Lesley de Meza and published by
the Sex Education Forum (National Children’s Bureau).
Copies available from the Sex Education Forum
(tel: 0207 843 6000).
http://www.pshe-association.org.uk/resources/
sex__relationships_education.aspx
Are you
getting
it right?
A toolkit
for cons
ul
sex and
relationsh ting young peop
ips educ
le on
ation
February
2008
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Free Multi-agency teenage pregnancy
and sexual health training
Places are still available on these courses...
Pride and Prejudice: tackling prejudice and promoting pride in identity 28 November 2008
Awareness raising around sexual health:
sex and relationships for young people with learning difficulties 10 December 2008
Chance, choice and consequences 6 November or 25 February 2009
To see full details of the 2008 - 2009 training programme visit...
www.hertsdirect.org/teenpregnancy
Alternatively, contact Christine Kirby on 01992 556131
Free Local TP Resources
• Numbers-U-Need booklets – information for young people
• Emergency Hormonal contraception for young women in Hertfordshire poster
• Sexual health services for young people in Hertfordshire poster
• Hertfordshire Teenage Pregnancy Strategy accelerating progress action plan 2008/11
• S ex and relationship education: a handy guide for parents and carers
in Hertfordshire NEW
• Sex and relationships education scheme of work for key stages 3 and 4
• The Ultimate Guide Information for young parents in Hertfordshire
Please note the above local resources can be downloaded from our website
www.hertsdirect.org/teenpregnancy
Copy deadline for the Spring 2009 issue is
1 February 2009.
Design ref: 050354
If you would like to include information on
your work or project in the next issue of the
Hertfordshire Teenage Pregnancy Strategy
Newsletter, please contact:
Christine Kirby
Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Support Officer
Children, Schools & Families
Room 152, County Hall, Hertford SG13 8DF
Tel: 01992 556131
Email: [email protected]