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T
Teenage Pregnancy and Under Age Sexual
Activity
It is suggested that 1 in 4 young people has sexual
intercourse before the legal age of 16 and that a
significant proportion of these young people later regret
it. A positive and proactive sexual health strategy in
establishments and the authority, in partnership with
appropriate health services, will enable establishments to
develop children and young people's expectations of
appropriate relationships and positive choices in relation
to sex, and to build their confidence and ability to
discriminate between safe, healthy and happy choices and
those where they are not in control, are coerced, or which
they may later regret. This is a vital aspect of keeping
children and young people safe.
Young people's involvement in sexual activity may vary
widely from the possibility of willing participation in
intercourse, exploratory childish activity, to rape or
inappropriate adult pressure to participate in sexual
activity. The consequences of these also vary, including
sexually transmitted infection and pregnancy.
These different situations will ultimately result in
different responses to children's needs. The initial
actions of staff and
CP Co-ordinators should be a careful
assessment of the situation. Staff must assess the level of
risk and vulnerability of the child, the child or young
person's understanding of their choices and decisions, and
the status of any relationship within which these choices
or situations occur. Where the school's
CP Co-ordinator suspects that abuse has
taken place, or the child is vulnerable or at risk, the
matter must be referred to social work services and/ or the
police.
- Overt sexual behaviour by young children is a
possible sign of their own sexual abuse which should
always be investigated.
- The expressed willingness of a young person under
sixteen to participate in sexual activity must not
preclude careful consideration and possible
investigation.
- The average age of first sexual experience (not
necessarily intercourse) for young people is now around
14 for girls and around 13 for boys. Exploring
sexuality is a normal part of adolescence which young
people may regard as an informed and positive choice.
Age-appropriate access to education, information and
support will increase young people's self esteem and
their skills in controlling relationships and
encounters, to increase their personal safety.
Signs of Risk
There is always the possibility that the consensually
sexually active teenager or young person may be involved in
inappropriate behaviour and at risk of substantially
greater harm:
- young people, without realising it, may in fact be
being groomed for involvement in prostitution
- some young people may feel they are in control and
making a positive choice to have a relationship with
someone older than themselves, and be attracted by
those with whom they know a relationship would be
discouraged by parents or other adults. This may result
in secretive relationships in which they are more at
risk than they are willing to acknowledge
- some young people use alcohol and drugs to the
extent that they have less control, reduce their
inhibitions or make less considered choices. Binge
drinking is common amongst teenagers. Personal safety
and the risk of sexual abuse while drunk or under the
influence is an important part of alcohol and drugs
education
- some young people may have such low self esteem
that they are prepared to use sex to get attention, or
in exchange for goods or favours
- some young people may be particularly vulnerable
where parental control in the home is limited and there
are other adults frequently in, or visiting, the
household (such as friends of older siblings or other
family members)
- younger pupils involved in a lifestyle where sexual
experience is expected or more likely, may also be
living in situations where parental control or
expectations are permissive.
These signs are not exhaustive and staff with knowledge
of individual young people and an understanding of their
maturity, their circumstances and their activities, must
judge whether young people are at risk. Where they believe
there is a risk, this should be discussed with the
CP Co-ordinator or school nurse. In all
aspects of considering children's safety or well-being, a
'two heads are better than one' approach is beneficial, and
discussions may initially take place without breaching
confidentiality, to help judge risks.
Prostitution and sexual exploitation
Where girls or boys are at risk of sexual exploitation
through prostitution, this may not accord with the
traditional stereotypes of standing on street corners, sex
with strangers, cash in hand. It may include the provision
of sexual services in exchange for other forms of payment -
drink, drugs, consumer goods, or even shelter for the
night. In some cases there may be no exchange of material
goods and the child or young person may not recognise that
they are being sexually exploited. The relationship,
however, will be characterised generally by coercion and
intimidation.
Guidance on potential indicators of involvement in
sexual exploitation and abuse was published in December
2002 by the Working Group on Young Runaways and Children
Abused through Prostitution,
www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/vcyr-00.asp
Providing information and support
It is important that young people are encouraged to seek
information and support and a key factor in this is their
understanding of the establishment's confidentiality
policy. The Standard for Personal Support in Schools (
Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential;
SEED 2005)
www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/hsaps.00asp
describes confidentiality, access to information, and
education for personal and social development as standards
that pupils and parents should expect from schools.
Information related to under-age sexual activity may be
particularly sensitive and should generally be treated
confidentially by staff (see flow-chart). It is important
that staff receive training on this as well as general
training on how to deal with situations where underage
sexual activity that puts young people at risk is suspected
and established.
Schools should inform and involve parents when
developing programmes of sex education; they should inform
parents that information is available in the school for
pupils and parents, on a range of local health
services.
Teenage pregnancy and contraception
Education authorities and schools should liaise closely
on the development of sexual health services. Young people
should be aware of services and how they can be accessed,
and their rights to treatment. However, pupils may approach
school staff for support, and sometimes parents may also
approach school staff. School staff should be aware of
where pupils and parents can find information on services
and who they may approach for professional health
advice.
Occasionally, a pupil will approach a member of staff
for support and request that their parents are not informed
of their need for contraception, emergency contraception or
pregnancy counselling. Staff should always try to persuade
the pupil to involve their parents, but must respect
confidentiality if the pupil insists on this; the pupil may
believe that they are at risk if their parents are
informed. Staff may signpost pupils to specialist services.
Medical practitioners are obliged to provide treatment to
any child of legal capacity (a child is of legal capacity
when they understand the implications of any treatment and
can give informed consent) and has a duty of
confidentiality - unless they have child protection
concerns.
School staff must recognise that a pupil who decides to
continue with a pregnancy will require ongoing support and
must plan to meet their additional support needs. Schools
with good programmes of education for personal and social
development which include sex education (see also Learning
for Childcare and Parenting), will be able to ensure other
pupils in the school are both supportive of their peer and
aware of the issues associated with teenage pregnancy.
Pupils who opt to terminate a pregnancy may also require
support to cope with the emotional impact following the
procedure.
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