Consultation on the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy

Strong leadership and accountability

Improved service organisation, informed by local data, the needs of young people and greater partnership working across agencies will contribute to local services being developed in a more comprehensive and integrated way. Evidence from the evaluation of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy in England^[83] showed that high level, leadership at the local and national level is essential for enabling progress in this area. It is vital that there is an accountable person who can support and enable local multi-agency partners in delivery as well as monitoring and reacting to performance management. Strong leadership both locally and nationally will be essential for the effective implementation of the Strategy. Each Community Planning Partnership (CPP) will therefore identify such an individual at a senior level to take on this vital, executive role both locally and nationally. The Scottish Government will also appoint a National Lead for implementation of the Strategy to provide national leadership. The National Lead will be responsible for the strategic delivery of the strategy, engaging with local and national organisations, ensuring the consideration of up to date evidence and policy, monitoring and reacting to progress and enabling cross Scotland sharing of experience and best practice.

Part 3 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 places a duty on each local authority and the relevant health board to jointly prepare a Children's Services Plan for the area of the local authority, covering a 3 year period. Children's services plans should be prepared with a view to achieving the aims of providing children's services and related services in the area, in a way which: best safeguards, supports or promotes the wellbeing of children; ensures that any action to meet needs is taken at the earliest appropriate time and that, where appropriate, action is taken to prevent needs arising; is most integrated from the point of view of the recipients; and constitutes the best use of available resources.

In order to ensure that the Children Service Plans are meeting the need of the young people they should be informed by "live", local data. The use of local data is essential for understanding local circumstance in relation to pregnancy and parenthood in young people. Where appropriate, agencies should share data and risk assess as part of a joined up strategy to understand the needs of the local population - i.e. those potentially at risk of a pregnancy at a young age, and young parents. The data sharing through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 will aid strategic planning and will also help the provision of integrated services that meet the needs of those who use them.

As part of the implementation of the Strategy, the Scottish Government will work with agencies across Scotland to collate examples of best practice and real life case studies in relation to pregnancy and parenthood in young people. Such examples will be shared as a way of promoting and sharing good practice in Scotland.

Workforce development activities across the range of different services working with young people will enable staff across all sectors to have the appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills to understand the needs of young people and work effectively with them to meet their needs and aspirations. Multi-agency training and education of the workforce in this area will be vital in order to enable professionals to respond to all aspects of pregnancy and parenthood in young people. Such training should include evidence around pregnancy in young people (not just the sexual health aspect), relate to local data and circumstance, should acknowledge the local needs and views of young people and acknowledge local data sharing and safeguarding procedures.

Actions:

A young people's strategic needs assessment is carried out by Community Planning Partnerships to include pregnancy in young people. As a result, data collecting protocols and data sharing polices including proper protection of privacy/confidentiality are in place for young people who are at risk of a pregnancy.

The Scottish Government to develop a national generic e-module for statutory and non-statutory professionals providing training on the evidence around young people at risk of pregnancy links with wider issues and practical actions for supporting young people.

Local Authorities to bring all partners together to consider the evidence and local data and to agree local pathways.

The Scottish Government to develop and maintain a digital resource for professionals which shares best practice, training opportunities and case studies in relation to pregnancy in young people and young parents across Scotland.

Each Community Planning Partnership to assign a senior accountable person for coordinating leadership/implementation/championing the Strategy.