Teen pregnancies plummet

The information, released by the Office of National Statistics, shows that nationally the number of girls under 18 getting pregnant has dropped by 9.8 per cent to 27.7 per 1,000 between 2011 and 2012.

Nationally, this is the lowest it has ever been since records began in 1998.

In Derbyshire the drop is even greater at 13.6 per cent – a rate of 22.3 per 1,000 – over the same period. The Derbyshire trend shows the figures are falling generally but there are differences across the county - with the highest number of teen pregnancies in Chesterfield and the lowest in the Derbyshire Dales.

However the gap between the districts which have higher rates and those with lower figures has been narrowing since 2004.

Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for health and communities, Councillor Dave Allen, described it as encouraging to see the county’s overall teenage pregnancy rate at an all-time low.

He added: “It’s also good to see that the the gap between districts is narrowing.

“It’s clear that teenage pregnancy is not inevitable and can be prevented, even in areas where rates have been high in the past.

“We need to sustain the progress we are seeing and there is no room for complacency.

“We have a way to go before bringing rates in line with other Western European countries.”

Teenagers in Derbyshire can access a range of support and information in schools and other settings.

The Sexual Health Promotion service offers the C-card scheme − a scheme aimed at young people to improve information and access to free condoms.

The long-term trend shows that teen pregnancy rates are falling faster in Derbyshire than in the rest of the country.

The rate in Derbyshire has fallen 46.4 per cent between 1998 and 2012 compared with 40.6 per cent in England.

The number of under-18 conceptions in England fell by 10.3 per cent to 26,157 and in Derbyshire by 14.5 per cent to 319.

The rate of under-16 conceptions has also fallen in both nationally and across the whole county.