Pregnancy and parenthood in young people: second progress report

Conclusion and Next Steps

Whilst rates of pregnancy in young people in Scotland continue to decline and the inequalities gap is narrowing, rates are still amongst the highest in Western Europe and inequalities remain.

The Scottish Government continues to prioritise the needs of young people around pregnancy and parenthood. The work to implement the Strategy is ongoing and takes place in partnership with the numerous other policies across Government which also consider the needs of young people in this area, and in particular the work to support our young parents through the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan and the provision of the Family Nurse Partnership programme.

In 2019/20 we will focus on the actions below:

Leadership and Accountability:

• We will continue to support local implementation through the provision of our 'awareness sessions', working to understand local need and delivery, and sharing examples of good practice.

Giving Young People More Control:

• We will be taking forward work on the development of age and stage appropriate key messages on healthy relationships and consent for professionals caring for and educating early stage and primary aged children.
• We will work in partnership with the 'Keys to Life' to support young people with learning disabilities and other significant communication difficulties around healthy and safe relationships.

Pregnancy in Young People:

• We will publish 'Getting Maternity Services Right for Young Parents' and the accompanying quick reference guide.

Parenthood in Young People:

• We will continue to work with young people and professionals to finalise and publish our guidance for supporting young pregnant women and young parents to remain in school.