Facts and Figures concerning Teenage Pregnancy in Barking and Dagenham

http://www.barkinganddagenhamjsna.org.uk/Section7/Pages/Section7-17.aspx

Evidence shows that children born to teenage mothers are more likely to experience a range of negative outcomes in later life and are more likely, in time, to become teenage parents themselves – perpetuating the disadvantage that young parenthood brings from one generation to the next.

Teenage pregnancy is both a contributory factor as well as an outcome of child poverty.  Teenagers from poorer areas with higher rates of unemployment (such as Barking and Dagenham) are more likely to fall pregnant than young women from more affluent areas. Young women who conceive and give birth while they are in the teens will face a number of challenges during their lives.  Many will not be able to complete their education or access training for work, and this could affect their life choices, and the life chances of their children throughout adulthood. 

Research suggests they are also more likely to partner with men who are poorly qualified and more likely to be unemployed.  Compared to postponing child bearing beyond her teens, the probability that a teenage mother’s partner does not have education beyond 16 rises from about 60% to 80% and the probability that he has a job falls from 95% to 75%. 

On average young mothers also suffer poorer health. They experience poorer mental health in the three years after their birth compared with other mothers, experiencing as much as 30% higher rates of mental ill health.

Figure 7.54: Trends in under 18 conception rates, Barking and Dagenham, London and England 1997-2009
  Source: Department for Education (DfE) Teenage Pregnancy Unit, 2011

In 2009, under eighteen conception rates declined to a rate of 54.3 per 1,000 females. Although our 2009 under 18 conception rate remains above the England and London rate of 38.2 and 40.7 respectively, it has dropped to its lowest rate since 1998.The borough’s percentage change since 1998 has, therefore, reduced to -0.5%.

The target for teenage pregnancy was set to half the teenage pregnancy rate by 2010 from the baseline year of 1998.  National data shows we are behind the trajectory needed to achieve this. In Barking and Dagenham the target set was to reduce teenage conceptions by 10%, based on current data we will also fail to reach target.  Nevertheless progress has been made; after a sharp increase between 1998 and 2002 with a rate peaking at 73.2/1,000, the rate of conceptions in 2009 has declined to -0.5% compared with the 1998 baseline.

Latest data available for conceptions is for the third quarter of 2010. The rolling quarterly average for Barking and Dagenham for this period stands at 58.2 per 1000 females aged 15-17. This shows a decline from the Quarter 2 figure of 59.3 but an increase on the Quarter 1 figure of 56.7. As Figure 1 shows, our conception rate continues to remain higher than the national and London rates of 36.3 and 38.2 per 1000 respectively. 

Figure 1

Not all the young women who conceive will give birth.  A small number of pregnancies will end in miscarriage or still birth, and approximately half of all conceptions in Barking and Dagenham result in termination of pregnancy.  Of these, 17% of the terminations carried out for young women aged 18 and under in 2010 were repeat abortions, which is the same as the average for London and above the England average of 11%.

Figure 7.55: Under 18 conception rates, Outer North East London boroughs, 2007-09

In terms of inequalities in teenage pregnancy, there is a recognised link to deprivation.  Across London there are higher rates of teenage pregnancy in BME communities but this has not been seen in Barking and Dagenham.

Ward Teenage Conception rates 2007-09

Analysis of the under eighteen conception data at ward level shows that in 2007-09, the ward with the highest rate of conceptions was Alibon. Chadwell Heath and Abbey recorded the lowest rates. 

Between 2007 and 2009, the largest decline in the under eighteen conception rate occurred in Heath and Gascoigne while the largest increases were seen in River and Parsloes. Eight out of 17 wards recorded an increase in teenage conception rates.

Across the borough, the actual number of teenage conceptions rose slightly from 580 in 2006-08 to 592 in 2007-09; the borough as a whole is not improving though individual wards are.

Figure 2

Research and Planning

So for the last few days, we've have been carrying out some research into statistics and figures concerning the teenage pregnancy rates. Here is some of the facts we've found.

'Although since 2002, there has been a decrease in the conception rates, Barking & Dagenham is still higher than the London Average. It was noted that some progress had been made in achieving lower rates such as under 16 conceptions within the borough.

The local data indicated that majority of fathers were under the age of 18, the youngest was 15 years old.   It was identified that some of the fathers were youth offenders.

In 2006, a Sex Relationship and Education (SRE) survey was conducted in secondary schools indicating that almost 50% of pupils were dissatisfied with the amount of curriculum time dedicated to SRE. 49% had poor awareness of where to access free contraception, compared to fewer than 5% having higher knowledge on contraception/sexual health service. There was a lower percentage of young people receiving information on sex and relationships from their parents.' (http://moderngov.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=27840) 

Here are some links to other websites which we found facts and figures which relate to our documentary.

http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/ChildrenAndYoungPeople/CYPP/Documents/CYPP-Needs-Analysis.pdf

http://moderngov.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=20653

We are not decided yet on what statistics we would like to use as we do not want to focus on the area in which our subject lives in, just highlight that the pregnancy rates are higher for under 18's in Barking and Dagenham than the average figures.

Update - Script and Sequences

We have begun to plan our sequences for the shots in the gym, and also the questions we want to ask Craig and his family. Once we have finalised what we are going to ask we will begin to stitch the shots together and create a contrast between his life as a dad and as a boxer simultaneously. Once we visit the gym and carry out a recce, this process will be alot easier and should help us determine what we can achieve.

Update - Permission Granted!

We have been in contact with a gym Craig uses in Chelmsford and they have granted us permission to film on weekends! This means we can get our contrast of the boxing world to fatherhood through use of sequences of Craig in the ring, and training. Without this permission we would have struggled to show how he goes from being daddy to being Craig Hardy pro boxer.

We are looking to film on Saturday 1st as due to work commitments and pre booking neither Sam or the gym can film sooner.

Location Recce - Craigs House

Today I (Sam) visited Craigs house as he lives across the road from me! I did a quick recce whilst there and took not of any health and safety issues and hazards etc.

The front room has various plug sockets that we could easily use if needed during the shoot. It is a wide room so two cameras can be used simultaneously. There is a sofa against a wall facing the window, so we could use natural light if we set the interviews up in that position. Taylors toys are always around so we will have to be careful he hasnt left anything behind us etc.

Craigs bedroom is quite small, but we could use handcam in there quite well, he has lots of boxing memorabilia and equipment in his room. Photos, gloves, trophies, autographs etc which could come in useful for cutaways. We will need to be careful when moving as theres not alot of room for walking around so when we do we must be sure of any trip hazards etc.

The garden is quite long so we could set up a tripod and leave it to film Craig playing with Taylor etc, we could also cut between handcam and static as there is enough room to use two cameras simultaniously.

Update - Permission Denied!

Unfortunately today we were told that we would not be able to film in the gym Craig trains in, TKO boxing gym in Canning Town. They would charge us to film there and they have too many people training to be able to either film on an empty night, or get permission from everybody that trains there. We are currently requesting permission from a few other gyms Craig train in and hopefully we can get one on board!

SWOT Analysis

To film our documentary successfully, we need to know what we are going to come up against when filming, in terms of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. We have done a quick SWOT analysis to outline the factors which we will need to take into consideration when planning and filming our documentary.

Strengths       - Sam knows the family extremely well

- They live in Sams street

                        - He can get close and ask tricky questions

                        - We will be putting a positive spin on both boxing and teenage dads

                        - It has a happy ending

                        - Good length of time to explore

Weaknesses   - Sam may be too close that he begin to be one sided

- We can only go by what Craig tells me

                        - May be hard to get info on such a hard part of his life

Opportunities – There are lots of opportunity for actuality

                        - Family interviews and opinions (how they’re affected too)

                        - Lots of archive (photos)

                        - Sam could get involved as a presenter to make it more personal

Threats           - Mothers side

                        - Consent for filming Taylor (would we need both sides?)

                        - We only have one side of the story

Looking at this analysis we believe the Strengths and Opportunities outweigh the Weaknesses and Threats. We will make sure that if Sam does become the presenter, he will stay unbiased and remain the  interviewer rather than the friend. We can use family members to add depth to the interviews and story rather than just asking Craig. By using other characters we can get a sense of how things happened rather than just be told. Hopefully by having Sam ask the questions, Craig will not be afraid to open up and tell us how he felt etc. Although we only have one side of the story, its unimportant because the story is about Craig and how his life has changed, we do not necessarily need the mothers side of the story because we aren't investigating how her life has changed

Providing we keep these factors in mind throughout and plan around them, this documentary will be a success, and hopefully get across our message that teenage fathers shouldnt be stereotyped the way they are.

Initial Ideas - What do we want?

Heres a list of our initial ideas of what we want in our film and how we want it. We are still working on these ideas as we progress.

Potential titles – Down but Not Out / Sucker Punch / My Fighting Chance

Locations – Craigs home, the gym/ring, local places (with Taylor), possibly a blank canvas background for sit downs

Style – We want it to feel quite intimate: Hand held, close ups, actuality, long pauses on reactions. The more emotion the better. Style of the boy whos skin fell off. Start off on a positive, get into the problem, then overcome it.

Characters – Craig, Mum and Dad, Cousins, Sister, Nan – Sam knows them all well and it will also emphasise how close his family are. Potentially interview them all and create a good family environement.

Tensions and Conflicts – Problems he faced, Work? Money? Legals? Did he have to fight to see his son? Is he on good terms with the mother?

Experiences – What did he learn on the way, did he have to grow up fast? How did he cope with the pressure?

Resolution – is he happy? Would he change anything now?

Our Idea

Our commission piece for our documentary unit is centered on a young man named Craig Hardy. He is a 21-year-old from Dagenham who had to put his boxing career on hold as he faced one of his toughest challenges yet, but this one wasn’t in the ring. Craig and his family are extremely close and are always around for each other in times of need. In 2010 Craig and his girlfriend at the time were always together, Craig had already stopped boxing briefly when he met her, but was still training and visiting the gym regularly. He began to lose interest in the sport as the pair spent more and more time together and he began to work more. When the pair split things were hard enough, but in late 2010 Craig received news that would change his life instantly. He was going to be a Dad. By the time he was told the news, the pregnancy was too far down the line for anything to be done in terms of termination. Craig decided that that didn’t matter, as he was going to do everything he possibly could, to see, take care of and provide for the baby he was soon to have in his life. Craig is now the proud father of almost two year old son Taylor. Not only has he put everything he can into being a Dad, he recently started boxing again and this year, turned pro fighting on televised bills on Eurosport.

We want to show how Craig's life has changed for the better after such a stereotypically negative situation arose in his life. This film will put a positive spin on teenage dads and also boxers, but even more so the two combined. It will prove how young men in todays world can deal with what life throws at them and still come out on top, in this case with a successful career.

Welcome to Our Commission Blog

This blog has been set up by Sam Ellis and Ashley Kay to show the progress of our commission piece for our documentary unit. We will post all our ideas, updates and developments throughout the unit and show how our film made it to its final cut.

Hope you enjoy,

Sam and Ashley.