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The Journal for Youth &Children Workers in LothiannetworksSpecial Summer Supplement 2007Young people and Sex:is everybody doing it?JUST RELEASED:Healthy Respect drop-insA guide to accredited statusand how to achieve it (2007)This guide is for organisations thatprovide (or plan to provide) a youngpeople's service and are interestedin becoming a Healthy Respectaccredited drop-in.It introduces the all I want - LIVEstandards and explains how toachieve accredited status. For acopy of this guide, please contactthe Healthy Respect admin team on0131 536 9388 or the services teamon 0131 536 9182.It may seem from what we read inthe media that all young people arehaving sex, and at an earlier agethan, say, ten years ago. However,the majority of young people, twothirdsin fact, are still not having sexuntil they are at least 16, and oftenolder.But what about young people whoare having sex? We hope that whenyoung people decide to have sex itwill be because they are involved ina relationship they are happy with.Sexuality is a natural and healthypart of being human, and individualsare entitled to express theirsexuality in different ways. Youngpeople should be enabled to makeinformed choices, and to exercisetheir rights and responsibilities withregard to sexual health and personalrelationships, which are integralparts of their lives.What about young peoplehaving sex under the ageof 16?One area of young people's liveswhich often leads to concernamongst professionals is that ofsexual activity under the age of 16.Although we recognise that sexunder the age of 16 is illegal, wealso recognise that some youngpeople will engage in sexual activitybefore this age. Many professionals,such as youth workers, schoolnurses and those in communitylearning have a duty to offerconfidential advice.In this way they are able to protectyoung people from unintendedpregnancy and sexually transmittedinfections, and to support them inmaking positive relationship choices.There is often disagreementbetween agencies about whatcourse of action this situation calls for- should it be the child protectionroute or a sexual health intervention?However, all agree that theneeds of the young person areparamount.The publication of your SummerNetwork's coincides with the releaseof new Interim Guidance forprofessionals across Edinburgh andthe Lothians to use when providingyoung people with information andservices about sexual health issues.The Guidance on Unlawful SexualActivity was endorsed by theEdinburgh, Lothian and BordersExecutive Group for Child Protectionin November 2006. There are alsosome new resources andservices for young people inLothian and emerging policiesand training events for youthworkers that we want you to knowabout.Read on to find out more…..

www.layc.org.ukWhat do sexually activeyoung people require?From our experience at HealthyRespect, we know that some youngpeople want and need: Someone to talk to aboutrelationships Information about how to findand use services Screening, treatment andprevention advice for sexuallytransmitted infections Emergency and ongoingcontraception advice Access to termination orantenatal services Psychosexual/ emotional/relationships advice An appropriate response whena risk is identified.This is currently provided in Lothianthrough a network of services,which are supported bycomprehensive information andeducation for young people in arange of settings such as schools,pupil referral units and youth clubs.For example, all young peoplereceive a mini handbook on sexualhealth and relationships (known assafe 'n' sorted and advertised in thelast edition of Networks) throughschool and non-school settings ataround age 14. Specific informationis also available on young people,sex and the law and howconfidentiality works through youngpeople's settings and websites. Youcan find out more about this atwww.healthyrespect.co.ukMore services for youngpeople?Healthy Respect would like to see ayoung people's drop-in service inevery local area in Lothian - aservice which is young peoplefriendly, respectful and of a highstandard. You can help us to achievethis by setting up a service withHealthy Respect in your area.A Healthy Respect drop-in is a placewhere young people aged 13-18years can access (as a minimum)free advice, support and informationon all health issues, including sexualhealth, in a local setting. Thesedrop-ins are owned and operatedby different statutory and voluntarysector agencies, and receivesupport and input from HealthyRespect.The drop-in may be a small part ofthe agency's wider services and,while operating, clearly displaysHealthy Respect branded materialsto make it easy for young people torecognise the service and what itstands for.

Summer 2007Guidance, Policy and TrainingNew Guidancerelated to under 16ssexual activityWhat will the newguidance do?We hope it will lead to a consistentapproach to meeting young people'sneeds. The key underlying principleof the guidance is the welfare of theyoung person. It recognises theimportance of knowledge of the lawand the duty of care placed uponprofessionals to offer confidentialservices. Ultimately, the guidancesupports agencies in workingtogether to ensure that decisionsreached are proportional to theneeds of young people and theprotection of others.This is currently interim guidance,required whilst national guidance isbeing developed. It has been agreedby the Child Protection Committeesfor Edinburgh and the Lothians.For a copy of the new guidance goto the LAYC website or give HealthyRespect a call on 0131 536 9454.New policy aimed atCommunity Learningand Development StaffYouth Workers and CommunityLearning and Development staff playa key role in supporting youngpeople in this area of their lives. Thisrole is being recognised through theproduction of a Sexual Health andRelationships Policy forCommunity Learning andDevelopment Staff in Lothian. Adraft policy has been produced andis being submitted for approval toEast Lothian, Midlothian and WestLothian Councils.The City of Edinburgh Council havedecided to incorporate their policyfor this group of staff into a SexualHealth Policy for the Children'sServices Department that will alsoinclude guidance for teachers andsocial workers.The policy outlines the differentlevels of involvement youth workershave in this area, from ensuringyoung people know where to getinformation on sexual health andrelationships and how to accessservices, to delivering services suchas c:card (free condom service)directly to young people.For further information on thecontent and status of the policy inyour area, please contact the leadin your local area.Candice Tait -candice.tait@midlothian.gov.ukfor Midlothian Council PolicyAlastair Colquhoun -alastair.colquhoun@wled.org.ukfor West Lothian Council PolicyMyra Galloway -mgalloway@eastlothian.gov.ukfor East Lothian Council PolicyDiane Devlin -Diane.Devlin@educ.edin.gov.ukfor City of Edinburgh Council PolicyTraining EventsLocal events are being organisedacross different areas of Lothian.New dates will be advertised onthe LAYC website, so keepchecking it for details of futureevents.Youth Scotland's National Training ConferenceHealthy Respect is offering a series of workshops at Youth Scotland's NationalTraining Conference (Practical Problems - Sensible Solutions 2007) on Saturday3rd November. Go to:http://www.youthscotland.org.uk/events/index.asp?id=6&sectionID=22for more information about how to book.New HealthyRespect Drop-InsArmadaleA new Healthy Respect drop-in ledby Karen Milliken, opened atArmadale Community Clinic on23rd March. The drop-in runsevery Friday from 1-3pm andprovides general and sexual healthinfo, c:card plus, pregnancy testing,emergency contraception andchlamydia testing services to youngpeople.North Berwick High SchoolA new Healthy Respect drop-in ledby Janice Macleod, school nurse inEast Lothian, opened at NorthBerwick High School on 2nd May.The drop-in runs every Wednesdayin term time from 1-1.45pm andprovides general and sexual healthinformation, c:card plus, pregnancytesting, and chlamydia PostalTesting Kits for young people whoattend the school.Healthy Respect at GUMThis is a new clinic, specifically foryoung people aged 13-18 years,that has opened at the GUM Clinic,Lauriston Place (level 1). The clinicruns on a drop-in basis and is openevery Tuesday from 4.00pm -5.30pm. Operating as a partnershipbetween GUM, Family Planning andHealthy Respect, the drop-in offersgeneral and sexual health advice,c:card, contraception, includingemergency contraception, andtesting for all Sexually TransmittedInfections. The drop-in is designedto be young people friendly,confidential and to operate inaccordance with Healthy Respect'sall I want - LIVE standards.If you would like further information,or perhaps some drop-in cards andposters to advertise the new serviceat your club or project, pleasecontact the Admin Team atHealthy Respect on0131 536 9388.

www.layc.org.ukwww.layc.org.uk www.layc.org.ukNew resources for young peopleand professionalsNew Child ProtectionLeaflets for the PublicThe City of Edinburgh CouncilChildren and Families Departmenthave produced new leaflets givingpublic information for peopleworried about child protectionissues, and giving children andyoung people simple information ina handy pocket sized leaflet. Theleaflets can be downloaded whenfollowing this link:http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/social_care/children_and_families/CEC_protecting_childrenThe suite of leaflets contains thefollowing; Information for peopleworried about child abuse orneglect, Information for familiesinvolved in the Child Protectionprocess, Information for serviceproviders, Information for olderchildren & teenagers, Informationfor younger children. Translationsare also available in Polish, Urdu,Mandarin.Health OpportunitiesTeam New LeafletA new leaflet called 'Are You ReadyFor Sex?' has been produced by theHealth Opportunities Team with theinvolvement of young people inSouth Edinburgh. The leaflet is foryoung people aged 13 to 16 yearswho are contemplating having sexfor the first time. This visuallystriking resource aims to informyoung people's decision-makingrelating to early sexual activity.Please contact Darina at HealthOpportunities Team on 0131 4684600 to order your copies. Thisresource has been produced inpartnership with Healthy Respectand is funded by Lothian NHSHealth Promotion Service.State of sexualhealth in the UKSexual health in the UK is poor.The levels of sexuallytransmitted infections (STIs) arecontinuing to rise, withestimates that chlamydia, themost common infection, affectsone in ten of sexually activeyoung people. The UKcontinues to have the highestrate of teenage pregnancy inEurope. Significant reductionwill not happen overnight. Toachieve real improvements werequire sustained behaviouralchange, strengthened publichealth interventions and a moretargeted approach to supportidentified vulnerable groups, aswell as joined-up action across arange of policy areas.It is important to recognise thatsexual health is not just aboutthe absence of disease. Sexualhealth is a complex issueinfluenced by culture,economics, religion and thestructure of society, as well asthe general experiences of anindividual, their family andcommunity.It has a much broader social andemotional impact on people'slives. There is, therefore, aneed to understand the societaland cultural aspects that impacton sexual well-being and tobegin to influence these widerfactors. In particular, we mustequip young people with theknowledge, values and skills toimprove their sexual health andrelationships.Healthy RespectDeaconess House148 PleasanceEdinburghEH8 9RST: 0131 536 9454E: healthy.respect@lhb.scot.nhs.ukW: www.healthyrespect.co.ukLAYC, Dunford House, 7 Boroughloch Lane, Edinburgh EH8 9NLTel. 0131 667 1828 Fax. 0131 667 9862 E-mail: enquiries@layc.org.ukNetworks is published quarterly by LAYC. Views expressed in Networks are not necessarily those of LAYC.