New figures show that Leicestershire’s teenage pregnancy rates continue to fall – and that’s for the eighth successive year.
The rate of conceptions in the county now stands at 18.5 per 1,000, which is significantly lower than the national average of 22.8 per 1,000. Nationally, the rate has declined by 51 per cent since 1998.
We’re delighted to see a further reduction in rates and it’s the result of a lot of collaborative work and getting the message across to young people, in some cases, through very innovative methods
Person:Councillor Ernie White, the county council's cabinet member for health
The work being done by the Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership has included a film ‘Becoming Dad’ which tells the stories of three young men and how they faced the realities of fatherhood.
There was also a campaign raising awareness of the issue of consent by using a sandwich as an analogy for sexual activity in another short film.
The partnership includes Leicestershire County Council, Leicestershire NHS Partnership Trust and a wide range of support organisations, schools and colleges.
The latest figures are for 2014 and were released today by the Office for National Statistics.
More information on the Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership.