Good new story about Haringey

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on March 19, 2015 at 2:18

Er what like this comment of yours, Joe?

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on March 20, 2015 at 2:08

I'm challenging neither the figures nor their interpretation. But frankly I'd have preferred an article written by someone totally independent of Haringey Council. And perhaps rather more balanced and even-handed.  As it makes clear, the writer is Cllr Ann Waters the "cabinet" councillor for children & Families.

To be fair, Ann's closing paragraphs make what seem sensible points about the complexities of the issue; and the need for: "a well-thought out and collaboratively produced prevention strategy".

I was though surprised to find a remark about the absence of "a single, silver bullet intervention".  As a highly educated woman Ann Waters will know that silver bullets are a folklore myth about weapons required to kill witches and werewolves. Hardly an appropriate symbol for young women who become pregnant.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on March 20, 2015 at 10:19

Several re-readings later and a Google Search  prompted some further thoughts.

Plainly we need to acknowledge and welcome the changes in Haringey, and the valuable work which agencies have been doing. 

But I wonder if Haringey Council is being rather too ready to claim credit for causing  a change which is actually a national and international trend. In some countries a quite startling change.

The claim is that: 'X happened after we did Y. Therefore Y caused X.  This may indeed be accurate - or partially accurate.  It may also be wholly or partly the logical fallacy: post hoc ergo propter hoc.

So I'd feel more confident if the article's focus was a bit more of what they are unsure about and need to learn. And less about selling the story of:  "How we halved teenage pregnancy rates in Haringey".

Is this me doing what Joe was waiting for?  Dismissing some positive news as Council spin?  I hope not. Because it's important that health professionals and anyone else working with young people and their families have accurate and reliable evidence about the 'Who?'  'What?' and 'Why?'  this is happening. 

What matters is that the three Ps - Practices, Policies and Programmes - are funded and developed to make lives better. Not the other Ps - Propaganda for Politicians and Parties.

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Permalink Reply by John D on March 20, 2015 at 11:30

That was exactly my thought Alan. When I read " It is no coincidence that in Haringey the reduction took place at a time when performance in schools increased. " I wondered how they could say that. It's good that performance in schools has increased and that teenage pregnancies are down but are the two necessarily linked ?

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