The Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange is the first national source of expert knowledge and advice on all aspects of teenage pregnancy.

The Director, Alison Hadley OBE, led the previous Government's successful Teenage Pregnancy Strategy which has led to a 66% reduction in under-18 conception rates and helped improve support for young parents and their children.

Read Alison Hadley's profile

Despite such significant changes, at a national level England's teenage birth rate remains higher than levels in comparable Western European countries and progress in reducing rates varies considerably between local areas. There is a seven-fold difference in the under-18 conception rate between local authorities and 60% of local areas have at least one ward with a rate significantly higher than England. Since 2010, successive governments have asked local areas to maintain the approach of the Strategy and make further progress as part of tackling inequalities and maximising the life chances for young people.

The Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange offers training, consultancy in the UK to help review and strengthen local programmes, and internationally to share the learning with countries seeking to support young people to delay early pregnancy.

Organisations and practitioners involved with teenage pregnancy related work can also join the free TPKE e-network for email updates on data, policy and research.

To join the network or enquire about training consultancy please email Alison Hadley at alison.hadley@beds.ac.uk

• Read Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood to gain a comprehensive, unparalleled insight into the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and considers how the lessons from this policy can be applied internationally. Written by Alison Hadley, with Roger Ingham (University of Southampton) in collaboration with Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli (WHO).
• "Alison Hadley, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli and Roger Ingham tell an extraordinary tale of scientific understanding, visionary leadership, and long-term dedication to adolescent sexual and reproductive health. A story from which we all can learn." - John Santelli, MD, MPH, Professor, Population and Family Health and Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York City, USA
• "This book offers a valuable insight into the development and implementation of a long-term strategy to successfully address a complex public health priority. As well as documenting the important detail of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and its practical application at local level, it importantly includes the voices of those involved. This brings to life the reality of delivering the programme and illustrates the extraordinary commitment of so many people to improving young people's choices. As England continues to apply the lessons and make further progress, I am delighted the learning is being shared internationally in collaboration with the World Health Organisation." - Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Public Health England

WHO recognises success of England's teenage pregnancy strategy

Two articles in the Journal of Adolescent Health and Reproductive Health, co-authored with WHO analyse the success of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and how the lessons can be applied in other countries.

• Implementing the UK Government's 10 year Strategy for England (1999-2010): Applicable Lessons for Other Countries [PDF]
• Implementing the UK Government's ten year teenage pregnancy strategy for England (1999-2010): how was this done and what did it achieve? Reproductive Health. 2016. reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12978-016-0255-4

The JAH article analyses the strategy against the WHO Expand-Net Framework and confirms it matches the seven attributes identified by the Centre for Global Development for effective scaled up programmes.

• Press release [DOCX]
• UK Gov Teenage Pregnancy Strategy - Lessons for other countries [PPT]