Young People At Risk Of Teenage Pregnancy Who Are In Local Authority Care

1

• Young People At Risk Of Teenage Pregnancy Who Are
  In Local Authority Care
• Elaine Greaves Denise Carroll
• Looked After Children Young Peoples Specialist
  Nurses
• February 2005

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Looked After Children Young People
(LAC)

• Lack of parental care
• Domestic violence, carers drug/alcohol misuse
• Out-with parental control
• Non attendance at school
• Offending behaviour
• At home with parents/friends/relatives
• May be on child protection register

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Looked After Accommodated (LAAC)

• Living away from home-
• Foster Care Placement
• Residential Childrens Home
• Specialist Residential School Placement
• Secure Accommodation
• Supported Carers
• Private Foster Care ?

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Outcomes of Looked After Children and Young
People Leaving Care

• 50 need some form of health intervention
• 30 of young single homeless have been in care
• 1 in 7 are pregnant or already mothers
• 23 of adult prisoners have been in care
• 38 of young prisoners have been in care
• 75 have no academic qualifications on leaving
  school (Utting 1997)

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Why at risk of teenage pregnancy?

• Experiences of neglect, abuse, exposure to adult
  sexual activity or violence
• Low self esteem, lack of confidence, peer
  pressure
• At risk of exploitation
• Multiple placements
• Disrupted education
• Pregnancy as a positive choice

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Making the Connections

• Attachment and relationship problems
• Loss / bereavement
• Lack of self esteem/ rejection/ stigma
• Searching for love and sense of belonging
• Living for here and now unable to project to
  the future (Risky behaviour)
• Refuse health intervention
• Lack of trust? To claw back power? Lack of
  confidence/knowledge? Confidentiality issues?
  Adolescent immortality?

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Reaching Young People

• Foster Care
• Specialist Education Placements
• Childrens Residential Homes
• Specialist Residential Schools
• Secure Units
• Care Leavers

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Good Practice Examples

• Access
• Health Assessments
• Awareness raising
• Joint working
• Positive Parenting Programmes
• One Stop Clinic

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Difficulties

• Carers unsure of what information to give
• Unsure of local services
• Partner notification
• Social Work/ Residential Care Policies
• Independent Residential Placements

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Guidance

• Sex Relationships- a factsheet for foster
  carers
• Guidance for field social workers.on providing
  info referring young people to contraceptive
  and sexual health services (DOH 2001)
• Resource for Teenage Pregnancy co-ordinators
  (Barnardos 2003)

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Policy and Procedure

• National Care Standards
• Care Homes for Children Young People
• Standard 11
• NHS Argyll Clyde draft Sexual Health Strategy
• Recommendation Fast Tracking, tailored support
  
• linking sexual health services with Comprehensive
  Health Assessment
• Using designated LAC nurse as point of
  contactif DNA/follow up

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New Health Network
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References

• Utting (1997) People like us. Quality Protects.
  HMSO
• Grant, A et al (2004) Forgotten Children
  Addressing the Health Needs of Looked After
  Children and Young People. Edinburgh Astron,
  Scot. Exec.
• Scottish Executive Learning With Care, training
  pack 2003
• Sex Education Forum National Foster Care
  Association, Talking about sex relationships- a
  factsheet for foster carers. 2001

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References

• Teenage Pregnancy Unit. Guidance for field social
  workers, residential workers and foster carers on
  providing information and referring young people
  to contraceptive and sexual health services. 2001
• Barnardos, Teenage Pregnancy and Looked After
  Children /Care Leavers Resource for Teenage
  Pregnancy co-ordinators (2003)
• Hill et al (2002) The emerging role of the
  specialist nurse Promoting the health of looked
  after children. Adoption Fostering, Vol.26, 4,
  p 35-43

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Further Reading

• Boswell, J et al (2002) The health needs of young
  people who are looked after and accommodated by
  local government. Unpublished report, South
  Lanarkshire Council Lanarkshire NHS
• Dixon. J., Stein, M. (2002) Still a Bairn A
  Study of Through-care and Aftercare Services in
  Scotland. York Scotlands Children Research
  Findings No 3, Scottish Executive.
• Scottish Health Feedback. Researching the Health
  of Young People in and Leaving Care in Glasgow.
  The Big Step - SIP 2002.
• Scottish Health Feedback. The health needs and
  issues of young people from Glasgow living in
  foster care settings. The Big Step 2003