TALKING to youngsters about sex is something parents need to address at some stage, but it can be a difficult subject to tackle.

It is a conversation that needs to take place, when the time is right, to ensure that when young people become sexually active they stay safe and also know how to guard against unwanted pregnancies.

Bradford Council's Speakeasy programme offers parents support when talking to their children about relationships and sex.

"There are many other organisations working with teenagers across the district, including GP surgeries, voluntary and charitable organisations," says Nicola Corrigan, sexual health lead for the council's public health department.

"This approach means we are able to offer effective sexual health services for teenagers, provide them with appropriate advice, gain support through local communities and help young people gain the education and aspiration to make the right choices for their future."

Education is certainly helping in curbing the number of teenage pregnancies. According to recent figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) the number of teenagers giving birth is now the lowest it has been for 70 years.

With 27.9 conceptions per thousand women aged 15-17 in England and Wales in 2012, the under 18 conception rate has fallen to the lowest level since records began in 1969 (a decrease of 40.8per cent).

Across England, the North East had the highest under 18 conception rate in 2012 (35.5 per thousand women aged 15-17) and the South East and the East both had the lowest rates (23.2 per thousand women aged 15-17).

But, still, we cannot be complacent.

Says Nicola. "Historically, the approach in Bradford has been that teenage pregnancy is an issue which everyone needs to be responsible for.

"Parents, schools, health and care settings, community groups and teenagers themselves all need to take responsibility.

“As well as providing sexual health and contraceptive clinic, the council has recently commissioned Locala CIC, to work in partnership with the voluntary sector to improve access by young people to sexual and reproductive health services from August.

“We also work with schools to deliver a relationships and sex education programme to secondary school pupils in years nine and 10 (13 - 15 year olds) called Ur Choice.”

Teenagers can also access support on this issue in schools that provide a TICTAC teenage advice service or from their school nurse.

Training is delivered to people working with young people to ensure they are aware of the issues and advice that needs to be given to them. This includes foster carers, children's social care residential units, social workers and those working with children and young people.

Jess Sandy, specialist midwife (teenage pregnancy) with Bradford Teaching Hospitals based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, explains that apart from a brief spike in 2014 statistics for deliveries to mums aged 19 and under have remained low.

In 2009, 4.5 per cent of deliveries were to women 19 and under; in 2010 the figure dropped to 4.1 per cent followed by further declines to 3.4 per cent in 2013.

Despite a slight increase in 2014 to 4.2 per cent the figure was still lower than 2009. And, so far this year, 3.9 per cent of the deliveries from January to June were to mums aged 19 and under.

"It is a really positive trend because babies born to teenagers have a higher risk of weighing less than we would like for delivery; they are more likely to be born prematurely and by reducing the rates we are reducing these outcomes for babies," says Jess, who believes education is having an impact on prevention.

"It is really positive and it is the direction we want it to go in so we can prevent these outcomes."

Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, says a number of major social and legislative changes over recent decades have contributed to the decline in the number of births to teenage mothers.

"In the 1950s and 1960s it was far more common for a young woman to marry in her teens and start a family, and the majority of births to teenage mothers remained within marriage until the 1980s. Since that time, as the stigma surrounding out-of-wedlock births has reduced, the proportion of births to teenage mothers within marriage has fallen to less than five per cent."

"As far as the decline in births to teenage mothers in recent years is concerned, the Office for National Statistics has correctly identified the most likely factors as increased participation in higher education, increased female participation in the labour force, housing factors and the instability of partners. It should probably also be viewed as part of a general trend towards deferred parenthood."