Speakeasy – supporting parents to talk with their children about sex, relationships and growing up David Kesterton Project Manager Speakeasy FPA

Speakeasy To enable parents to talk with their children about sex and relationships To increase parents factual knowledge around sex and relationships To increase parents confidence and communication skills around sex and relationships To provide a step towards further learning/personal development for parents in priority groups To support parenting practitioners in using the Speakeasy model in their work

8 Learning Outcomes Physical and emotional changes at puberty 2.Sex and relationships education in the context of family life 3.Responding to the needs of children in relation to sex and relationships in the context of family life 4.Social and cultural attitudes towards sex and sexuality as they relate to children

5. Methods of contraception 6. Sexually transmitted infections and safer sex 7. Strategies for keeping children safe from harm 8. Sex and relationships education in schools taking account of statutory and non statutory guidance

Where courses take place Schools Childrens Centres / SureStarts Other community settings

Looked After Children ( Foster Carers) Parents of children with disability Minority ethnic communities Faith communities Fathers

Around 10,000 parents have attended to date Around 90% choose to take the accreditation 95% Female 80% White British

Database – monitoring forms Question Pre-course score Post-course score Score change (%) Confidence about talking to children about sex and relationships 2.99 4.40 +1.41 (+47.0) Knowledge about changes during puberty 3.02 4.44 + 1.42 (+47.0) Knowledge about STIs 2.59 4.33 + 1.74 (+67.2) Knowledge about contraception 3.30 4.56 + 1.26 (+38.2) Knowledge about staying safe 3.37 + 1.19 (+35.3)

Before course findings (%) After course findings (%) Statement Before course findings (%) After course findings (%) Strongly agree Agree Strongly agree or agree I want to talk with my children openly about sex. 57.3 34.6 91.9 68.4 28.0 96.4 I feel able to talk to my children openly about sex. 21.1 39.8 60.9 56.3 39.2 95.5 I am aware of opportunities to raise issues with my children. 17.0 52.1 69.1 55.9 40.8 96.7

“If you’re put on the spot and asked loads of questions I want to be able to talk about it cos talking in the group made you have the confidence.” “Because my oldest one is now in year 7, I wanted to be more comfortable about speaking to her about the facts of life and just being able to be more comfortable about being able to talk to your children.”

“Main purpose for me was being a girl and having two girls and being able to relate to them through my experiences but having a boy and we don’t have many boys in our family and being able to relate to him, if you know what I mean, was my main reason.” “The course made me think it’s an awkward subject if you put barriers there but speakeasy made me realise if you just relax about it and give them as much information as they need at the time that makes all the difference”

“Very impressed with the course and very shocking how naïve I was “Very impressed with the course and very shocking how naïve I was. I wish I had spoken to him a bit earlier. I can see now how appropriate that would have been because they are aware so early these days.” “If the only thing that comes out is that my 14 year olds now comes to me, then that’s fantastic.”

Sex and relationships education in schools Guidance Welsh Assembly Government Circular No: 019/2010 Extracts relating to the role of parents http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/100908sexeden.pdf

Parents/carers have a central role to play in terms of delivering positive messages to their children about sex and relationships. For instance, by answering questions and providing an opportunity for discussion, parents/carers can reinforce the message that sexual health matters are to be treated openly

Guidance emphasises the importance of working in partnership with parents/carers, foster parents and corporate parents, where a child is looked after by their local authority

Governing bodies of all schools must make and keep up-to-date, a written statement of their policy with regard to the provision of sex education. The policy must also include a statement about parents’ rights to withdraw their child from sex education

It is for individual school governing bodies, in consultation with parents/carers, to determine how best to approach sex education, in accordance with learners’ needs and the character and ethos of the school.

Some children and young people may find it difficult to talk to their parents/carers and may rely on schools as their main, or perhaps only, source of SRE. Sex education policies need to be culturally and religiously appropriate, inclusive of all learners and be sensitive to the needs of the local community. Discussions with learners, their families and representatives of faith groups will help to establish and reconfirm what is appropriate and acceptable.

Primary schools should: • discuss the content of SRE with parents/carers • offer parents/carers support in talking to their children about sex and relationships and how to link this with what is being taught at school Secondary schools should: discuss with parents/carers the content of SRE and the resources used to deliver the programme