Alcohol and teenage pregnancy

Last week Children's Secretary Ed Balls was quoted in the Telegraph as saying that there is a link between binge drinking, having unsafe sex and teenage pregnancy.

We know that alcohol plays a part because young people tell us that it does. We also know that PSHE is not universally established and young people’s services are not as available and as high profile as they should be.

While we need to address the impact of alcohol we must not get sidetracked from building the foundation blocks which are still not in place everywhere: good PSHE, good outreach work, high profile visible young people’s services and strong youth services.

Good education will make the link between alcohol and sexual risk taking - Brook has a publication, Drunk in charge of a body, which helps professionals to do exactly that.