Redbridge Teenage Pregnancy Strategy

The health service is pivotal in reducing teenage conceptions and supporting teenage parents and their children. Redbridge Teenage Pregnancy Strategy strives to ensure that Redbridge’s young people have access to contraception, information and advice and support services. We are working closely with a range of health professionals to achieve this.

	Provision of young people focused contraception/sexual health services, trusted by teenagers and well known by professionals working with them was the factor most commonly cited as having the biggest impact on conception rate reductions in the high performing areas. Features of successful services reflected the Best practice guidance on the provision of effective contraception and advice services for young people, issued by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit in 2000: easy accessibility in the right location with opening hours convenient to young people; provision of the full range of contraceptive methods, including long acting methods; a strong focus on sexual health promotion (as well as reactive services) through, for example, outreach work in schools, work with professionals to improve their ability to engage with young people on sexual health issues; and through highly visible publicity. Effective services also had a strong focus on meeting the specific needs of young men. All high-performing areas also had condom distribution schemes involving a wide range of local agencies and/or access to emergency contraception in non-clinical settings.
	To read the full report click on the link below. Teenage Pregnancy Next Steps: Guidance for Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts on Effective Delivery of Local Strategies

Ilford Brook is now at Loxford Polyclinic, 417 Ilford Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG1 2SN and runs Thursdays 5.15-7.30pm and Saturdays 2-4pm. The service offers pregnancy testing, contraception advice, condoms, emergency contraception, abortion referrals and counselling. Young people can go along to talk to a professional even if they are not sexually active for example if they are thinking of having sex for the first time or would like to talk about relationships.

Click here for more information and a map.

Ilfomation one stop advice shop is innovative in the fact that it offers the first sexual health drop-in service in a non-clinical setting. Brook sessions run on Monday from 4pm-7pm. Services offered include pregnancy testing, contraception advice, condoms, emergency contraception and abortion referrals.

Ilfomation also distribute condoms to young people aged 25 or under through YPF throughout the week

Contact details

A Brook worker, Adi, is also available at Redbridge College drop-In Service on Monday to give information & advice

Click here to download a printable timetable of all the family planning clinics in Redbridge.
Visit www.youngpeoplefriendly.co.uk for more information.

For an interactive tool to use with young people in your work click the link below to visit the virtual clinic.

Virtual Clinic

Teenage mothers have three times the rate of post-natal depression of older mothers and a higher risk of poor mental health for three years after the birth.

Young people up to the age of 18 who live, work or study in Redbridge can receive Free counselling. For more information call Hear & Now on 0844 600 1154 or visit www.hearnow.org.uk

Redbridge can offer Parent-baby therapy, a service based in Loxford, for young mums who are worried that how they feel may be affecting their relationship with their baby. It offers therapy for parent and baby together. Midwives, health visitors and GPs can make referrals. If you feel a young parent you know could benefit from this service call 0844 600 1182 for more information.

Teenage mothers are three times more likely to smoke throughout their pregnancy than older mothers, impacting negatively on the health of the child.

Many young people believe that cutting down reduces the risk and this misconception needs to be actively tackled. Key professionals dealing with young parents throughout their pregnancy can work with those who smoke to offer consistent support and encourage them to access the available help services.

YPP has an in-house smoking cessation programme. Young parents or pregnant women aged 21 or under, can receive individual support. The programme offers one-to-one meetings each week for 6 weeks, free lung tests, nicotine replacement therapy, and an incentive of a £50 voucher for pregnant women successfully stopping smoking. For more information or referral contact Taureane at office@youngpeoplesproject.com

Redbridge PCT offers a smoking cessation service. Call 020 8926 5275 or click on the following link http://www.redbridgepct.nhs.uk/services/service.asp?id=50

Teenage Mothers are 50% less likely to breastfeed than older mothers meaning that their babies are missing out on the associated health benefits. In poor housing with sometimes less than ideal hygiene conditions, breastfeeding can reduce risks from unsterilised feeding equipment.

Young mothers at the Young people’s Project are actively encouraged to breastfeed through antenatal classes and are well supported after the baby is born.

The infant mortality rate for babies born to teenage mothers is 60% higher than for babies born to older mothers. Increased support and access to accurate and easy to understand information through health care services is imperative to ensuring the best start for babies born to teenage mothers.

YPP can offer support to young parents and provide information and advice on a range of issues including education, training, healthy eating, housing and benefits. Contact Rosie on 0208 911 9268 to find out more.

YPP can offer support to young parents and provide information and advice on a range of contraceptive methods. They also distribute free condoms and can help arrange clinic visits. Contact Rachel or Heidi on office@youngpeoplesproject.com or on 0208 911 9268.

Fusion

Fusion is a young people’s Drug and Alcohol Service in Redbridge. It is completely Free and Confidential. They can provide one-one advice and information on drugs and alcohol – the effects and the risks, support with reducing the associated risks of drug and alcohol use or stopping altogether, information on other activities, advice and support for friends and family.

Monday - Friday 9am-5pm

Redbridge now refers all young people presenting for termination through one provide, Marie Stopes.

Marie Stopes international’s website provides comprehensive information on abortion including the law and a video on what to expect after an abortion.
www.mariestopes.org.uk/uk/abortion.htm
Marie Stopes international: 0845 300 8090

Education for Choice provides information on all issues surrounding pregnancy and abortion and has pages specifically for young people and for professionals.
www.efc.org.uk

The Family Planning Association (FPA) produces an information leaflet on Abortion: “Abortion, your questions answered” which can be downloaded from their website.

They also produce “Pregnant and don’t know what to do?” and “Abortion: Just so you know” which is a sex & Relationships education resource. These can be ordered directly from FPA.
www.fpa.org.uk/information

British Pregnancy Advisory Service: 08457 30 40 30

Young women presenting form repeat abortions may not have access to consistent and reliable methods of contraception. Visit www.youngpeoplefriendly.co.uk for information on local contraception clinics and pharmacies providing EHC.

In April 2007 Redbridge launched an Emergency Hormonal Contraception Pharmacy scheme, enabling young women aged 25 or under to access free EHC from local pharmacies. The scheme builds on good practice guidelines as outlined in the teenage pregnancy next steps guidance and aims to reduce the numbers of young people presenting for terminations of pregnancy, repeat terminations and secondary conceptions.

The EHC logo has been developed and used by Barking & Dagenham in the launch of their EHC scheme and has been proved to be successful. Maintaining continuity with advertising helps to increase brand recognition amongst young people in the local area.

For more information visit www.youngpeoplefriendly.co.uk or contact the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Team at teenagepregnancystrategy@redbridge.gov.uk

Redbridge operates a condom distribution scheme, ensuring condoms are available to young people in a range of places including non-clinical settings. In primary care 7 GP’s and 11 pharmacies are currently signed up to the condom distribution scheme where trained participants can order directly from the supplier.

The scheme also includes those workers in the community, best placed to reach vulnerable and hard to reach groups such as out reach workers, detached youth workers and young mothers groups.

To find out more about the scheme and how to sign up to it contact the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy team on teenagepregnancystrategy@redbridge.gov.uk

The teenage pregnancy Midwives are based at King George’s hospital and deliver antenatal classes specifically for young parents to be at the Young People’s Project.

A young person’s GP will send a letter to King Georges’ Hospital when the pregnancy has been confirmed and the young person wishes to continue with the pregnancy. A midwife will then contact them to arrange a home visit. If at this time the young person is 17 years old or under and having their baby at King George’s Hospital they will be visited by a Teenage Pregnancy Midwife. If not a midwife from their own GP surgery will care for them during their pregnancy.

The Teenage Pregnancy Midwives can be contacted directly on:

	You're Welcome Quality Criteria - Making Health Services Young People Friendly - October 2005
	Confidentiality and young people - Improving Teenagers Uptake of Sexual Health Services and other Health Advice. A toolkit for general practice, primary care groups and trusts. 2000
	Best Practice guidelines for doctors and other health professionals on the provision of advice and treatment to young people under 16 on contraception, sexual and reproductive health. Department of health, July 2004
	Multi agency working to support pregnant teenagers, A midwifery guide to partnership working with Connexions and other agencies. DfES April 2007
	Adolescent Health 6: Youth-friendly primary-care services –how are we doing and what more needs to be done?
	Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service. Department of Health, April 2007