A SOAP opera may sound like an unlikely and even bizarre way to stop teenagers getting pregnant. But this is one of the methods Worcestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership is using in its battle to cut the rate of under 18 conceptions by half by 2010.

Forget EastEnders, Hollyoaks or the recent film Juno - which stars a laconic 16-year-old mother-to-be - it is the realistic "L8r" DVD which many teenagers in Worcestershire are talking about.

The series, shown in Worcester's schools, follows the lives, loves and shifting fortunes of six soap characters as they cope with issues such as pregnancy, drugs, gangs, alcohol and relationships.

The DVD series, designed by young people in London, is backed up with chatrooms so teenagers in Worcestershire can debate the lives of the central characters, Misha, James, Ben, Katy, Danny and Tilly.

The series is designed to encourage youngsters to relate to the characters and see the impact decisions can have on their lives in the hope they will delay having sex.

The partnership offers advice, which is free and confidential, not only for young people but for parents and carers, providing tips on how to talk to their sons and daughters about relationships and sexual health.

The mission is to make sure all young people have access to consistent, high-quality relationship and sex education in school and out and to encourage young parents back into education, employment or training.

One 19-year-old single mum from Worcester, who did not wish to be named, was 18 years old when she had her baby and did not know where to turn for help.

Now she is back at college studying dance thanks to support from the partnership.

She said: "I got back into college through the partnership and someone from the service even came to my interview with me and they helped me fill in the form.

"Without them I wouldn't have known where to go and how to go about stuff. It has been a big help to me really.

"Not only did they help me get back to college but they helped introduce me to people facing the same issues. It was quite difficult to start with but now I have got used to it, I wouldn't change anything now."

In Worcestershire the under 18 conception rate is well below the national average and the most recent data showed a drop in the number of under 18 conceptions in the county from 33 per 1,000 people in 2004 to 31 per 1,000 in 2005 (the national rate in 2005 was 41.1 per 1,000).

This is a reduction of 11.1 per cent since the baseline year of 1998 according to the figures, supplied by the Office for National Statistics.

Becky Dwight, Worcestershire's teenage pregnancy and parenting manager, said: "The partnership aims to encourage young people to delay sex until they are sure they are ready, but we recognise that there are young people who are sexually active and we aim to provide them with accurate information and advice about their sexual health to enable them to make informed choices - like using contraception when they have sex.

"It's important that the myths around contraception and sexual health are addressed, and that young men, as well as young women, have access to services where they are empowered to take responsibility for their sexual health."

The partnership also uses national campaigns such as Contraceptive Awareness Week (February 11 to 17 this year) to raise the profile of its work.

This year the chosen theme was The New Man, focusing on encouraging men to use a condom as a way of preventing unplanned pregnancies and protecting against sexually transmitted infections.

There are 25 Time 4 You drop-in centres across Worcestershire that look after young people's needs, from sex to tackling drugs and bullying.

Time 4Us are based at Worcester College of Technology (Thursdays, 12.30pm-2pm), Worcester Sixth Form Student Services (Wednesdays 12.30pm-2pm), the Moor Street Clinic (Saturdays 10am-12pm), Warndon Youth Centre in Chedworth Drive (Wednesdays 7pm-9pm).

The Worcestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership recently launched a resource pack for young mums and dads-to-be and young parents.

The resource pack, which contains advice and information on pregnancy and the first few months after birth, was developed after talking to young parents.

The pack contains information about health in pregnancy, budgeting, healthy eating, support for dads and young parent's groups.

Holly Wheeler, teenage pregnancy project worker, said: "One thing that the young parents felt very strongly about was the lack of support for young dads across the county and very little advice about how they can get involved with their baby.

"The pack aims to go some way to addressing some of these important issues."

Simon Rushall, teenage pregnancy and parenting manager for the partnership, said: "If girls are sexually active and if they're using a long-acting contraceptive they're still not immune to sexually transmitted infections. It's best to use both condoms and contraceptives.

"Lads really need to get the message that they need to use condoms to protect themselves."

Teenage Pregnancies: The Facts

* The rate of teenage pregnancy in the UK is the highest in Western Europe. In the Western world only the US has a higher rate of teenage pregnancy than the UK.

* The rate of teenage pregnancy was higher in the mid-1990s than it is today.

* 80 per cent of teenage pregnancies are among 16 to 17-year-olds.

* Ministers have announced a £26.8 million cash injection into managing teenage pregnancy in an attempt to reduce the 400,000 unwanted pregnancies which happen every year.

* Ministers expressed concern this month that teenagers fail to take the pill and cannot use condoms properly.

* The Government is backing alternative contraception such as long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), including injections, implants, the coil and the intrautertine system.

Worcestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership

The partnership was set up in 1999 and is made up of Worcestershire County Council, Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, Hereford and Worcestershire Connexions, County Youth Support Service, Healthy Schools, Substance Misuse Action Team, Hereford and Worcestershire Youth Offending Team, Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust, Worcestershire Council for Voluntary Youth Services, all district councils in Worcestershire.

For more information contact the partnership on 01905 728971.