Home > Health Promotion > Between The Sheets Feb 2011

Between The Sheets Feb 2011

Between the Sheets - Health Promotion News

February 2011 - Contents

Click to jump directly there

1. The Strong Family Project
2. Develop your Career with CDE 
3. A Grand Success: Disability Forum - Supporting Parents & Carers
4. Hunter Men's Sexual Health Toolkit
5. Mooditj
6. Same Difference in the Northern Rivers
7. Down There Goes Regional
8. Fairfield Service's Focus on Multicultural Communtities
9. Sex & Ethics - Violence Prevention Program 
10. Resource Round-Up

-

From the Manager's Desk One of the many things I like about working at Family Planning NSW is it's never dull; how can it be? There's always vibrant conversations about bugs in the bed, check out the STI microbes in this issue, new ways of engaging communities we work with and innovative ways of providing information or teaching about reproductive and sexual health. Parents are key partners with Family Planning NSW in supporting their kids and inside this issue you'll read about the recent forum conducted for parents and carers of people with a disability. And don’t forget to check out our review of the STI microbe toys. It's all here... Liz Hammond, Manager Health Promotion

 

---

 

The Strong Family Project

This project wishes to acknowledge and pay respect to the original Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their descendents of the land on which we work and live.

The Strong Family Project is an innovative partnership between Family Planning NSW and the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health through the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney. It is a three year project which will deliver high quality reproductive and sexual health services to Aboriginal communities in urban, regional and remote locations across NSW.

It will focus on prevention rather than disease using education and training programs developed to encourage young people, Elders, men and women to make informed and positive decisions when it comes to their reproductive and sexual health. Being sensitive to the cultural nuances such as shame and gender division, the Strong Family Project will promote an ‘all of community’ approach in a positive and sustainable framework.

As a non-government, community based initiative, it will be guided by research and driven by Aboriginal communities in NSW. As part of the planning process, invitations will be extended to key organisations such as the AH&MRC and NSW Health. The Strong Family Project is about the development of partnerships which will ensure all activities are community controlled. It’s foundation is built on an holistic model incorporating culture, country and kinship.

What are the Goals?

1. To research, develop, implement and evaluate reproductive and sexual health education programs for Aboriginal communities in urban, regional and remote NSW.

2. To develop learning pathways for Aboriginal people in reproductive and sexual health education and training.

3. To increase access to reproductive and sexual health clinical services for Aboriginal people in rural NSW.

In full swing right now is a literature review of reproductive and sexual health programs to ensure program development is based on evidence and need. The project is also recruiting for an Aboriginal Health Promotion Officer.

For further information about Strong Family Project, contact Patrick Duley, Aboriginal Health Project Manager on 02 8752 4326 or patrickd@fpnsw.org.au.   

Patrick Duley
Aboriginal Health Project Manager

  

---

 

Develop Your Career with CDE

Family Planning NSW invites you to enrol in our Career Development Education (CDE) program. This exciting and innovative program will give you the skills to take workplace training and assessment in your workplace to a whole new level.

The Career Development Education program has the following three options to choose from.

1. Certificate IV Training and Assessment – the ultimate option to improve the professional development opportunities for your organisation
2. Skills Sets Training and Assessment – will provide participants with the skill set to deliver training and conduct assessments in a fun and interactive way
3. Community Services Training Package – this dynamic package will teach participants how to develop and deliver community education and how to facilitate group to maximize learning outcomes

For more information about which option is best for you, please contact: Professional Education Unit education@fpnsw.org.au or phone 02 8752 4349.

 

---

 

A Grand Success: Disability Forum
Supporting Parents & Carers

In 2010, the State Health Promotion Unit embarked on a new area of work supporting parents and carers of children with intellectual disability.

Sexuality is a subject even the most modern parent struggles with. Parents and carers of children with intellectual disability often have additional concerns about their child’s sexual development. It is important that children with disability receive positive sexuality messages in order to develop healthy attitudes towards their bodies and relationships.  To meet this need a free half day forum for parents and carers was held one Saturday afternoon in September at the Ashfield centre. 

The forum, Puberty, Sexuality and Relationships, was attended by 42 people and helped provide parents with the knowledge and confidence to support their child’s personal development in a positive way.

Sessions focused on sexuality issues from childhood through to adolescence including puberty, dating and relationships, educational resources, tips for talking about sex and answering tricky questions. The forum was delivered in an engaging format including guest speakers, interactive workshops and panel discussions. 

Feedback from parents and carers attending the event were encouraging and affirmed the importance of providing support in this area.

“Thanks for the fantastic forum on Saturday, I have come away with loads of options and ideas which is fantastic.  I have also met a lady who lives nearby to get some local information.”  Parent.

“You said that this was the first such group [forum] for parents, I do hope that it will not be the last as I do believe that you are on the right tract in offering assistance to the parents where there was no such help in the past.” Parent.

“Excellent forum which provided me with the information to empower me to take action.”  Parent.

Following the success of the Ashfield forum, the disability team are planning regional forums in Newcastle and Dubbo in 2011.  It is also hoped the Ashfield forum will become an annual event.  For more information contact Rob Hardy robh@fpnsw.org.au.

Rob Hardy
Senior Health Promotion Officer, State Health Promotion Team

 

---

 

Hunter Men's Sexual Health Toolkit

The Family Planning NSW Hunter Health Promotion Unit has stepped into a new area of community education by partnering the Newcastle TAFE in the rollout of a pilot ‘Life Skills’ program within their Manufacturing Apprenticeship Course.

The Life Skills program was developed five years ago in the Upper Hunter TAFE Apprenticeship Course to address issues associated with the lifestyle behaviours of young males fuelled by well paid mining jobs.  The award winning program included road safety, mental health and sexual health information sessions.

Feedback from of the sexual health sessions at the time indicated that many young males were unaware of safe sex practices. For example, some believed that some sex positions provided protection against unplanned pregnancies.

More recently, Newcastle TAFE recognised the need for a similar program with apprentices enrolled at their campus.

As part of the Newcastle Life Skills session presented by Family Planning NSW Hunter, students were provided with the opportunity to discuss a range of sexual health topics including healthy relationship issues, negotiating consent, sexually transmissible infections, safer sex practices and accessing sexual health services and information.

The session used ‘hands on’ activities and group discussions to complement the existing teaching strategies used in the Apprenticeship Course.

Like the Upper Hunter program, the sexual health session at Newcastle found a general lack of awareness of safer sex practices amongst 17 to 21 year old males prior to the training.

It is envisaged that the Life Skills program, and Family Planning NSW Hunter, will become a permanent inclusion in the Apprenticeship Course at Newcastle TAFE.

Evaluation of the pilot program will guide future program topics and intended outcomes.

Positive feedback was received with one young student futher commenting...

‘The session taught me really useful stuff. Really open and approachable’.

Claire Swan
Health Promotion Officer, Family Planning NSW Hunter

---

 

Mooditj

Family Planning NSW, in partnership with Mission Australia Dubbo, has delivered Mooditj to a group of young Aboriginal people who attend Mission Australia Culture Camp program. All up, 28 young people attended the six week course which was developed by Family Planning Western Australia.

The program focuses on sexual health and life skills for Aboriginal youth. Family Planning NSW first bought Mooditj to NSW in 2007 and it has received much interest from health and community services.

Over the six week period, the young people attending Mooditj in Dubbo had the opportunity to explore issues about safe sex, relationships, parenting, pregnancy, contraception and feelings. The enthusiastic participants were engaged using a variety of activities to talk about what young people might experience when they reach puberty. 

The Family Planning NSW facilitators running the program were Liz Hammond, Manager Health Promotion, Jodi Carrett, Aboriginal Health Promotion & Health Support Worker and Patrick Duley, Aboriginal Health Project Manager.

This is the second time Mooditj has been run through Mission Australia. The success of the program rests with the facilitator's flexibility and adaptability to the needs of the participants who attend. The program is fun, interactive and provide the participants with safe and comfortable environment to talk openly about sexual health and personal development.

For further information about the Mooditj Program contact Patrick Duley, Aboriginal Health Project Manager on 02 8752 4326 or patrickd@fpnsw.org.au.   

Patrick Duley
Aboriginal Health Project Manager

 

---

 

Same Difference in the Northern Rivers

In 2009 the Health Promotion Team heard some shocking reports of school based homophobia in the Northern Rivers area of NSW.  As a result, the team decided to introduce the Same Difference program to that area to address homophobia using a ‘whole of school’ approach.

Same Difference is Family Planning NSW’s anti-homophobia school based training. It consists of workshops for teachers, called That’s So Gay, followed by one for students, named Same Difference. A significant part of the Same Difference program is the Youth Panel Speakers. These specially trained young people tell their lived experience of dealing with homophobia.

Since Family Planning NSW does not have a regional base in the North of NSW, a community partnership was created with ACON Northern Rivers and The Aurora Foundation funded four Family Planning NSW staff to travel to Maclean to deliver the training at Maclean High, in the Clarence Valley.

Two local young people, who completed Family Planning NSW’s Sydney-based Panel Speaking Training earlier in the year, also presented in the That’s So Gay and Same Difference sessions.

Maclean High provided a challenging yet rewarding experience for the Family Planning NSW and ACON staff as well as the panel speakers. It is a great example of agencies working together to achieve a common goal and bridging the distance between Sydney based and regional organisations.

“I have been teaching sexuality education for over 20 years and now I realise I have been skimming over everything.  I am totally re-thinking how I deliver sexuality education to be more inclusive of same sex attracted young people” PDHPE teacher attending That’s So Gay

Family Planning NSW will continue to work with ACON and the local Youth Panel Speakers to build their capacity to continue this work in the region.

Roby Hardy, Evan Cooper, Yuri Chernenko, Jackie Ruddock
The Same Difference Health Promotion Team

---

 

Down There Goes Regional

The Down There course is based on the newly released DVD, Down There, 2nd Edition. This four hour workshop builds the confidence of service providers to talk about reproductive and sexual health issues with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

In 2009, when the North Coast Area Health Service requested Down There training in Coffs Harbour, Family Planning NSW educators decided to couple the training with a less formal community education session. This approach provided course participants with a supported environment to put their new learning into practise.

It was so successful that in 2010 Northern Settlement Services Newcastle, Western Plains Cultural Centre Dubbo, and the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga asked Family Planning NSW to provide the same training in these new areas.

The regional courses had larger participant numbers than those sometimes conducted in Sydney, highlighting the large number of newly arrived refugees in need for good support services in regional areas.

Conducting Down There in regional areas helped build the capacity of CALD stakeholders and provided Family Planning NSW staff with the opportunity to reinforce the skills needed for working with CALD communities. The Family Planning NSW educators were delighted by the mutual sharing of knowledge, understanding, values and practices around reproductive and sexual health.

“Isn’t it a good feeling that, after the [community education] session, participants come and say that it is the first time they have heard such information. It is just so good to know that women feel empowered and have options in their hands which is life saving.”  Participant. Project Worker, Wagga Wagga

These positive experiences will inform Family Planning NSW educators in their ongoing work with CALD health promotion and training in the future.

For more information on Down There please visit this page.

Sahba Delshad
Senior Health Promotion Officer, State Health Promotion Team

  

---

 

Fairfield Service's Focus on Multicultural Communities

Refugee Week 2010 & Cervical Cancer Awareness

Its a while ago now, but in June last year Family Planning NSW Fairfield led the organisation's celebration of Refugee Week. The theme, “Freedom from Fear,” reflected on how Family Planning NSW and the community can continue to provide the best possible services to people from refugee backgrounds.

A special Refugee Week event was held in Ashfield which featured guest speakers from Rwanda and Burma, performances by beautiful Baha’i dancers and practical information for service providers working with people from refugee backgrounds.

The inspiring stories of the guest speakers helped reinforce the significance of Fairfield Health Promotion’s work with the Burmese community, known as the Karen community, many of whom have recently resettled in south-western Sydney following several years living in refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.

Working collaboratively has been a key factor in gaining access to this emerging community. Together with the Refugee Health Service and the Karen Settlement Grants Program worker, Family Planning NSW has helped meet the reproductive and sexual health needs of the Karen community through tailored education sessions and service visits.

Fairfield Health Promotion also contributed to the Refugee Health Service’s Combating Cervical Cancer: an awareness-raising initiative with Karen women project, with clinical staff supplying information and pictorial content to the development of a resource about cervical cancer and Pap tests.

In addition Family Planning NSW provided an education session on cervical cancer and screening as well as assisted in the provision of Pap tests for Karen women, most of whom have never been tested before.

Kath Bennett and Jacqui Greenfield
Health Promotion Officers, Family Planning NSW Fairfield

 

---

 

Sex & Ethics – Violence Prevention Program

Sex & Ethics is an evidence based program for young people authored by Professor Moira Carmody from the Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre of the University of Western Sydney. The program’s package consists of two key resources - a manual and a background book.

The background book identifies all the evidence Moira collated through extensive research with young Australian people, as well as the program’s introductory readings. The program manual lays out six sessions for educators to deliver over a six week period with a young group, with each session lasting two to three hours each.

Sex & Ethics is embedded in the prevention of sexual violence and takes a view that young people are able to make decisions and negotiate safe and pleasurable sexual relationships. This sex positive view is quite different from the traditional disease and medical model which seems to pervade most sex education with young people.

The skills to negotiate sexual encounters are explored in every activity using the Sex and Ethics framework. The Framework consists of caring for oneself, being aware of one’s own desires and wants, impact on others, negotiation and questioning, as well as reflection. 

To begin with, Family Planning NSW has committed 2 health promotion staff, Mark Morris and Lisa Bogie, to the program including its week long training. Mark and Lisa ran the program twice in the second half of 2010 with young people in the western Sydney area.

Mark has also already completed co-facilitating Sex & Ethics at the Central Coast as a professional development activity for 16 youth workers who will integrate the Sex & Ethics concepts into their work with young people. This is an ongoing project in partnership with the Wyong Youth Health Service and an evaluation and report will be completed, as well as a three month follow-up with the group. The evaluation will measure the trainings' impact on the youth workers’ work practices concerning sexual health and sexual ethics.

Mark Morris
Senior Health Promotion Officer, State Health Promotion Team

---

 

Resource Round-Up

We love: Giant Plush STI Microbes

We asked a Evan and Jacqui, Family Planning NSW health promotion officers, what they think about the plush STI microbe toys and how they use them in their work.

 

Do you use the toy microbes?

Evan and Jacqui both say: "Yes!"

How do you use the microbes?

Evan: "I use them during an activity called 'The Handshake Game' in training with young people. I throw them to group participants."

Jacqui: "I tend to use the microbes in community education sessions with young people as part of activities about STI transmission. They really grab people's attention!"

How do group participants respond?

Evan: "Really well! They find them funny most of the time. At first they're grossed-out and then they see how cute the critters are. The microbes stimulate good conversation."

Jacqui: "Participants think they're cute and then when I tell them what they are, there is surprise and laughter and sounds like "ahh" and "eew"."

Would you recommend this resource?

Evan & Jacqui both say: "Yes!"

Who would find this resource useful?

Evan: "Anyone wanting to stimulate conversation around STIs will find the microbes useful. They're good because they actually resemble what the STI is meant to look like under a microscope - so it piques people's interest. The sperm and egg microbes could be handy for young people too."

Jacqui: "Youth workers, teachers and people conducting community education would find them handy. The little information cards which come attached to each microbe could be useful to build comprehension activities around too. The microbes would be good for anyone who wants to add visual interest to their training, without resorting to scare tactics. For young learners, I think the toys are better than pictures because the physical appearance and severity of a STIs can vary from person to person - so they don't always look the same."

Giant Plush STI Microbes are available for sale through Healthrites Bookshop.

---

Top Selling FPNSW Resources

1. Hey Sister! Hey Brother! Contraceptive Information for Aboriginal Communities
2. Why Would I Use Condoms?
3. Contraception Healthy Choices

Most Visited Health Promotion Resources Online

1. Keep It Safe, Keep It Sexy Sticker
2. Keep It Safe, Keep It Sexy - Youth Information Card
3. Sex, Safe n Fun – Disability Resource

 

To receive Between the Sheets newsletter by email, click here.

---

This information is applicable for: Aboriginal Communities; Disability Workers; Multicultural (CALD); People with a disability; Same-sex attracted; Service Providers; Teachers; Young people
Subject:
Keyword(s):