13 Year Old Girl Pregnant in Poole

A 13 year old girls and a 14 year old boy are expecting a baby in Poole.

Borough of Poole have taken out a court order to protect their identities.

They've confirmed the pair are due to become parents in November after a "brief sexual relationship" and the council are now offering "appropriate support" to the families concerned. 

Anne Newton, Strategic Director for Children?s Services, Borough of Poole, said: 

"It is the council's policy not to comment on individual cases. However, in a situation of this nature our priority is to ensure appropriate support is available to the young people and their families and that their right to privacy is respected. This course of action was discussed with the families before a decision was taken to obtain a legal order." 

In a statement they added:

Poole has comparatively small numbers of under-18 conceptions, less than 100 per year. This means that one or two pregnancies can cause a dramatic fluctuation in statistics. 

Currently, Poole's rolling quarterly average is 32.3 conceptions per 1000 young women of that age. This is compared to 42.9 when data started to be collected in December 1998. 

Nationally the rolling quarterly average is currently 34.7 per 1000 young women under-18, the lowest since quarterly data collection began. 

Anne Newton said:

"Teenage pregnancy is not a common occurrence and the council works closely with other partners to address the issue. We recognise this is a complex subject and specialist advice and information is available through schools and further education establishments. In addition, we work closely with families to offer individual support and guidance."