Figures published last week show that teenage pregnancy rates in Newcastle dropped in 2008. The overall number of conceptions to women under the age of 18 fell 14% - 229 compared to 264 in the previous year.

We’ve introduced a number of joint initiatives with Newcastle Primary Care Trust, aimed at further reducing teenage pregnancy in Newcastle:

• A teenage pregnancy support team working in particular with teenage parents to reduce the numbers of second pregnancies.
• Teenage Kicks, an outreach team working particularly in areas where there are greater numbers of teenage conceptions.
• Mint, an award-winning magazine aimed at young women. This gives them the information they need to make informed choices about their future in a fun and relevant way. A young men’s edition will be published later this year.
• The new Croft Centre, a sexual health centre in the heart of the city which improves access to local sexual health services for young people.