Publication - Consultation paper
Consultation on the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy
This consultation seeks views on a range of actions in relation to the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy in Scotland
Actions for the Strategy
| Section | Action | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1: Delaying pregnancy in young people | The Scottish Government to work with key partners and young people to carry out research and then develop a communications strategy for promoting understanding of consent and healthy relationships in young people. | The Scottish Government |
| Local Authorities to communicate and implement the Relationships, sexual Health and Parenthood education Guidance locally in partnership with key agencies. | Local Authorities NHS Boards Third Sector organisations |
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| Local Authorities to work with young people to deliver information directly on RSHP, the Guidance and their (young people's) rights in relation to it. | Local Authorities | |
| Schools, youth work and Local Authorities to engage young people in the development of the Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) curriculum in schools, in order to provide RSHP education that is relevant and engaging to young people. Regular review of quality assurance and ensuring content is needs led is essential. | Schools and Local Authorities | |
| As part of implementing Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood education, schools, youth work and other learning establishments to work with young people to support planning for future parenthood and understanding of the impact of the parent on child development. | Schools and other learning establishments | |
| NHS Boards to continue to ensure that confidential, high quality sexual and reproductive health services are accessible to all young people at times and in locations that are appropriate to the local population and geography. This includes high quality information on their websites and through public information for young people on contraception and pregnancy. | NHS Boards | |
| The Scottish Government to work with stakeholders to develop a 'national youth friendly charter' which will help young people to identify that the services they are accessing are young people friendly. | The Scottish Government | |
| Drop-in clinics which offer both general and sexual health advice and services to continue to be provided in, or close to, schools and link into other relevant local services and care pathways . | NHS Boards Youth Work Local Authorities Third Sector organisations |
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| NHS Boards to ensure that appropriate and integrated care pathways exist from sexual and reproductive health services to other parts of the health service so that young people can access additional support rapidly, as required. | NHS Boards | |
| Service providers to discuss with young people their full range of contraceptive options, and ensure they explain to the young person how their choice of contraception provides protection from unintended pregnancy and also what options are available when contraception fails or is taken incorrectly. Those not directly providing contraception counselling should ensure that they are aware of on where and when such services are available and provide clear signposting to young people on such services. | NHS Boards Youth Work Third Sector organisations |
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| Local Authorities to work with partners locally to determine the appropriate provision of contraceptive services out with the health environment, dependent on the needs of the local population. Staff working with young people should be aware of this information and local pathways into services. | Local Authorities | |
| Schools, local authorities and NHS Boards to work together to ensure that all young people are provided with accurate and up to date information about the range of contraception methods and local sexual health services, including local provision of emergency contraception. | Schools Local Authorities NHS Boards |
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| Section 2: Pregnancy in young people | Information on pregnancy should be available in venues frequented by young people. Such information should include the importance of telling a trusted person as soon as possible, emphasise the positives of disclosure and access to services offering accurate information and unbiased support that is available locally. Specifically; Schools and Local Authorities: Young people in school to have information (as part of RSHP education) on the support and advice available locally around pregnancy. NHS Boards: Information on access to services related to pregnancy to be readily accessible and should consider the needs and concerns of young people, particularly concerns around confidentiality. | Schools Local Authorities NHS Boards Youth Work Third Sector organisations |
| Local sexual health websites aimed at young people to ensure they include accurate and up to date information on pregnancy and local services. This will not only acknowledge the fact that typical symptoms may not manifest, but also that young people may not anticipate contraceptive failure. The resource should include information on the importance of disclosure of pregnancy to a trusted source. | NHS Boards Third Sector Organisations |
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| Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Information Services Division (ISD) to continue to monitor the standards on early access to services (booking and abortion) ensuring that numbers are broken down by age (both maternal age and pregnancy gestation), where appropriate. | NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) NHS Information Services Division (ISD) |
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| NHS Health Boards to use this information to determine whether young women of various ages who access services are doing so as early as possible. Where delays have occurred, services should liaise with the young person to try and understand what barriers exist and feed into local information provision and referral pathways. | NHS Boards | |
| NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland to develop an Integrated care pathway (ICPs) providing a person-centred, evidence-based framework for delivery of high-quality care for young people under 20 who become pregnant and the professionals guiding them. | NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland | |
| All local areas to have clear referral pathways into abortion services. Such pathways should provide accurate information and unbiased help and support and clearly state local and statutory gestational limits. Delays in accessing services should be regularly monitored and addressed. | Local Authorities NHS Boards |
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| All abortion services to offer and, where appropriate, provide effective contraception and counselling post abortion. | NHS Boards | |
| In line with the Refreshed Framework for Maternity Care in Scotland, local antenatal care services to consider how best to enable young mothers and fathers to attend antenatal services that are tailored toward their particular needs. | NHS Boards | |
| Local services to ensure that young parents are given information on, and are able to access, antenatal classes and support groups locally (both NHS and Third Sector). Such classes should take into account the particular needs and anxieties of young parents. | NHS Boards Local Authorities Third Sector organisations |
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| NHS Health Scotland to adapt the Department of Health England guide "Getting maternity services right for pregnant teenagers and young fathers" for use in Scotland to ensure local areas consider how best to provide antenatal classes that address the needs and anxieties of young mothers and fathers, helping them also link in with antenatal care. | NHS Health Scotland | |
| Section 3: Parenthood in young people | Professionals working with young parents to be aware of issues potentially affecting young people engaging with services and consider how to adapt practice to inform and reassure potentially anxious young people. | Third Sector organisations Local Authorities NHS Boards Youth Work |
| Agencies working with young parents to ensure that they communicate effectively, across multiple services, putting the young parent(s) and their needs at the centre. | Agencies working with young parents | |
| NHS Health Boards to use local data to understand their local population and ensure the provision of local services that are relevant to the needs of young mothers and fathers. | NHS Health Boards | |
| The Scottish Government to work with young mothers who have taken part in the Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) survey and who experienced a rapid repeat pregnancy (i.e. within two years) to try to understand more comprehensively the factors that may have influenced a subsequent birth. | The Scottish Government | |
| NHS Boards to ensure that all pregnant women aged under 20 are consulted about their contraception preferences antenatally and that these preferences are provided in the post natal period, preferably prior to discharge from hospital (in line with CEL 1). If this is not feasible then follow up should be made to have their contraception preferences fitted when suitable. Where appropriate young fathers to be informed and involved too. | NHS Boards | |
| As part of the evaluation of the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy, the Scottish Government to work to understand the numbers of young mothers in education, training and employment, linking to the National Indicator on young people in learning, training or work. | The Scottish Government | |
| Local Authorities should work with local schools to ensure that flexible childcare is available for young mothers staying in school based education. Such childcare should enable them to participate fully in the activities of the schools. Schools should acknowledge the impact of parenting on young mothers and support flexibility in timetabling. Schools and further education settings to also recognise the parenting responsibilities of fathers. | Local Authorities | |
| Community Planning Partnerships to use their data to understand local circumstances of young parents in regard to housing needs. Ideally, young families should be enabled to stay in their communities where they can access family and peer support. Young pregnant women / young parents should be offered access to secure, permanent housing where they can establish a safe and secure home for themselves and their child/children with additional support to develop independent living skills, tailored to their individual need. | Community Planning Partnerships Integrated Joint Boards |
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| The Scottish Government will work with the Child Poverty Action Group (Scotland) to develop a resource aimed at those professionals who support young parents. The resource will provide up to date information on welfare and other resources available to young parents. | The Scottish Government Child Poverty Action Group (Scotland) |
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| The Scottish Government will work with CPAG (Scotland), Young Scot and One Parent Families Scotland to develop a resource for young parents which provides up to date information and support on accessing welfare and includes help and support to young people to understand their housing rights. | The Scottish Government Child Poverty Action Group (Scotland) |
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| Section 4: Strong leadership and accountability | 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. | Community Planning Partnerships Integrated Joint Boards |
| 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. | The Scottish Government | |
| Local Authorities to bring all partners together to consider the evidence and local data and to agree local pathways. | Local Authorities | |
| 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. | The Scottish Government | |
| Each Community Planning Partnership to assign a senior accountable person for coordinating leadership/implementation/championing the Strategy. | Community Planning Partnership |
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