Teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are two reasons why
Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) in schools are becoming increasingly important part of pupils\'
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). SRE aims to build an understanding of human sexuality, and to provide young people with the confidence, knowledge and skills to make informed and responsible choices. There are two main settings where SRE is delivered: at schools (mainly by teachers and school nurses) and through outreach services (youth workers, social workers, sexual health advisors, etc.).
Sex educators at schools have the advantage of having children as captive listeners and the students already know and trust them. The educators have also some authority and the parents trust them more. However, children may not like to share all their concerns and questions with their educators and the educators might not be comfortable or competent in delivering sexual health messages, as they might come from a variety of non-relevant backgrounds. The outreach workers, on the other hand are mostly from a youth work background so they often are good in
communicating with young people and gaining their trust. They are mostly young and enthusiastic, and often have had personal experiences of this kind. Their challenge is that they might not feel competent about their knowledge and handling troubled kids might become very difficult. Also, the staff turn over is relatively high and most of the outreach workers look at their jobs as a bridge to other careers. This presentation will focus on the essent
educator skills ial
based on the literature, expert views and the findings of a qualitative study conducted by the presenter. The competencies will be categorized into core competencies and helpful-to-have skills and a hypothetical curriculum for sex educators training and development will be proposed.
More information at: www.sara-nasserzadeh.com
Conflict of Interest:
None disclosedFinancial Support/Funding: None disclosed Recorded: Sydney, Australia, April 2007
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