Professionals

Up-to-date, accurate information around sexual health is part of Healthy Respect’s integrated approach combining information, education and services. Healthy Respect recognises the value of quality, evidence-informed resources for professionals, parents and young people. In addition to maintaining an information website, Healthy Respect works with other agencies to develop print and training resources, and where possible, social marketing campaigns, to support sexual health and relationships work with young people.

Developing resources for young people, parents and professionals

Healthy Respect has worked to invest in resources that bring something new to young people, parents or professionals; that is, resources that ‘fill a gap’. New resources have always been pre-tested with their intended audience, then reviewed and amended to ensure relevance and accessibility. The involvement of key stakeholders in the process of developing a resource is paramount to its success, as is ensuring early consideration of the distribution process.

Developing resources in this way is all part of the social marketing approach of Healthy Respect. For examples see Downloads and Campaigns.

Some guidelines, which may be useful when developing resources, are:

• Avoid reinventing the wheel Check that no one else has already developed a similar resource. Ask for permission to use relevant copy and/or designs developed by other agencies
• Before you start, ensure the purpose is clear and understood by all stakeholders. Decide who will be involved in the writing, approval and, production of the resource
• Sorting out the distribution channels at the outset requires significant time and energy, but is crucial. There is no point producing a resource that you can't get to your audience
• Keep it short…less is more. One leaflet will never be able to do everything, so make sure it does ONE thing very well
• If you and your organisation are not a young person - don't pretend to be one and be consistent with your tone of voice
• Make sure your message will get across in the way you intend.  Test the text with your intended audience to make sure it’s relevant. It is vital to test both the content and layout of anything you produce is accessible, relevant and appealing to your audience, e.g young people
• Invest in good quality design. An attractive layout and engaging, easy to access information will mean the resource is more likely to be retained. Although many find developing resources with young people a useful way of involving young people, this can lead to a great ‘involvement of young people initiative’ but often results in a poorly designed resource. Unless they are trained in design/communications, asking professionals or young people to design resources should be avoided. But during the design/copy development, you may want to facilitate a workshop with young people to review the direction of the resource. Designers, and by implication the final product, will benefit from having this kind of interaction with young people who are the intended audience. This could be a fun light-hearted event where designers can get useful input and ideas to help take the resource forward
• It is vital to test out designs with your audience to ensure the information is accessible. Don’t rely on assumptions or opinion of what makes for a relevant and good design
• Ensure your stakeholders are kept informed throughout the process, especially those who will help to distribute the item
• Keep a record of how your resource is used, and establish a way of getting feedback from young people to inform future developments
• Remember: invest in the development stage. This can be resource and time intensive but will stand you in good stead for future developments and potential reprints.

Selecting and using resources

The involvement of key stakeholders in the process of developing a resource is paramount to its success

Whether you are seeking resources to work with young people, parents or fellow-professionals, there are a few common principles and ideas that you may find helpful:

• Getting started: When selecting resources for use in group sessions or workshops, it is important to know what you’re looking for – think about what you want your group to know and whether the resource helps fulfil this.
• Setting the scene: You may want to refresh your own knowledge before starting. A simple leaflet or a book to browse through may be all you need. If you require broader background information, an evaluation report on previous projects may be useful.  There are also a number of resources available with a policy or programme focus that may help you decide the overall direction and purpose of any planned activities.
• Activity ideas: For practical ideas on the kinds of activities, have a look at teaching kits. These are full of exercises to help you explore issues with groups of people of all ages. Look for something that is appropriate to the age and experience of your target group. You may not find everything you’d like within one teaching kit or resource, so look around and select the activities that best suit your purpose.
• Handouts: Think about resources that your participants can retain. Keep handouts and leaflets relevant, and try build in time to discuss the contents, rather than handing them out with no supporting input. In addition, consider reading levels and the tone of the text, as well as whether the resource needs to be available in alternative formats.
• Stalls: If you are selecting resources for a ‘market-place’ event, bear in mind that with some sexual health issues, people may not want to be seen picking up leaflets. Choose resources that are discreet enough to be slipped into the pocket and read later.
• Videos and DVDs: Many teaching kits contain video/DVD material along with reading matter and supporting information. In other cases, videos/DVDs are available as standalone resources supplied only with brief descriptions. Always pre-view them before showing them to others, and check supporting materials. This will let you know whether the material is appropriate for the age and level of experience of the intended audience. Allow plenty of time for discussion after viewing.

The NHS Lothian Health Promotion Library and Resource Centre has a wide range of resources to support sexual health and relationships programmes.  It can also provide Lothian based organisations with limited numbers of leaflets free of charge for use with health promotion work. Visit http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/ourservices/library/services.asp for more information.

Planning workshops

If you are planning to deliver sexual health and relationships education (SRE) workshops with young people, there are a number of things to think about:

Firstly, if you are taking the lead in delivering your SRE programme, do you need to undertake any training? Have all those involved in the delivery been police checked? Are you fully up-to-date on your organisation’s child protection policy, and confidentiality policy?  Do you feel confident in delivering sexual health workshops with young people? And are you aware of what to do in the event of a disclosure?

Your local Health Promotion Department may offer a range of training opportunities. In Lothian, you can contact the Sexual Health Team at the Health Promotion Department on 0131 536 3500.
Think about the issues that you would like to cover in your SRE programme. This may provide a great opportunity to consult with young people, and to involve them in the development of the programme. What do they want and need from the programme? Consider your group’s existing knowledge, age, gender and confidence levels.

Approach your manager for support for your programme. You may need to think about obtaining consent from parents, or allow them the opportunity to withdraw their child. Do you know about sexual health services for young people in your area? Could they come along to support your sessions?
There are lots of resources and materials available to help you develop SRE programmes. Healthy Respect has produced a range of toolkits to assist in addressing issues with young people. Visit our  Downloads and campaigns section for more information.

Before starting, check all the resources you plan to use are ready. Consider developing a Group Agreement with young people at the outset, covering confidentiality, expectations for behaviour showing respect for others, and so on.  Try to make the sessions fun and interactive. And remember that you can’t always expect to know everything!

Lastly, there’s lots of advice and help out there – just have a look through the rest of the Healthy Respect website.