Advice on contraception for young people

While the legal age to take part in sexual acts in the UK is 16, one in three young people will already have had sexual intercourse by this age. Health professionals are legally allowed to support under-16s in choosing appropriate contraception, to reduce the risk of pregnancy occurring. When undertaking a consultation, health professionals must be educated in the areas of consent, confidentiality, safeguarding and abuse referral pathways. Understanding how to identify abuse, use specific questioning and listening skills, and having the ability to notice non-verbal cues, are essential in identifying the vulnerable young. It is also important to have an awareness of groups who are at higher risk of abuse (e.g. vulnerable adults, LGBTQ+ community), and to understand when to refer to safeguarding teams and the police. Despite access to contraception being more readily available, holistic barriers to accessing contraception still exist. This article discusses assessing a young person for contraception, Gillick competency and legal issues, forms of available contraception (including some common risks and benefits), barriers to accessing contraception and emergency contraception.