Service Development

Healthy Respect's involvement in service development is one aspect of its integrated approach combining information, education and services. Healthy Respect is committed to the development of accessible services that are young people friendly and delivered by confident, appropriately trained staff.

Facilitating a network of accredited drop-ins

Across Edinburgh and the Lothians there is a network of young people’s drop-ins that deliver general and sexual health information and services to an agreed set of standards; the all I want-LIVE standards (2007). Visit the Downloads and campaigns section to view the resource.

Young people attending these drop-ins can expect to be treated with respect and have access to free, confidential and accurate information. Where appropriate, they can also be offered services such as c:card, contraception, pregnancy and chlamydia testing, or if necessary signposted to more suitable or specialised services. Young people attending these drop-ins can expect to be treated with respect and have access to free, confidential and accurate information.

The all I want-LIVE standards have been developed with the support of a range of Lothian-based organisations that work with young people. They reflect examples of local good practice and acknowledge the work of many organisations that aspire to deliver the best possible young people’s services. Any Lothian-based young person’s drop-in operating to these standards can be awarded Healthy Respect drop-in status. As part of this network of services for young people, drop-ins
receive training, support and branded material.

Young people are then guaranteed quality services and information and are more readily able to access other services within the network.

Drop-in Settings

Drop-ins may be in a variety of settings and are usually located in an area of deprivation or where there are no other accessible services. The main areas for drop-ins are:

Within a school setting: The main advantage of a school-based drop-in is that it is accessible to most of the young people who attend the school. However it may exclude those who are not attending, perhaps through long-term absence or exclusion. Services within schools may be limited due to current school or local authority policy. A consultation process with stakeholders including the local authority, school management, parents and, importantly, young people, is essential in setting up this type of service.
Within a community setting: The main advantage of this type of service is that it is often set within an established ‘young person friendly’ environment, and may provide links to other services such as those offered by youth workers or counsellors. Additionally, this type of setting is generally open to all young people and a wider range of services (such as contraception) may be offered. The service can provide for those at greater risk of poor sexual health outcomes including those not attending or excluded from school.
Within an NHS setting: 1. Health centre: The main advantages of a drop-in based in a health centre or community healthcare setting are that more services, such as contraception (including emergency) can be offered, and that the service is open to any young person. This service can also provide for those at greater risk of poor sexual health outcomes. It may also break down some of the barriers within primary care by enabling young people to access other health care services within the health centre.
Within an NHS setting: 2. Specialist sexual health service: The main advantage of a drop-in within a dedicated sexual health service is that specialist staff and services are available, such as in Family Planning and GUM services. A young person’s drop-in within the existing service may facilitate young people’s access to the mainstream service in the longer term.

If you would like further information or would like to become an accredited drop-in (for Lothian based agencies/organisations only), download our leaflet Healthy Respect drop-ins: A guide to accredited status and how to achieve it (2006) from Downloads & Campaigns or contact
Healthy Respect on 0131 536 9454.

Supporting services to be young people friendly

Why make young people welcome?

Make young people welcome and at ease and they’re more likely to tell you what’s really the matter. They’ll come to you earlier for sexual health advice and help with concerns about issues such as depression, eating disorders, drugs, self-harm, alcohol and smoking. A very useful website which provides more information on this subject is www.walk-the-talk.org.uk

What do young people want from health services?

The all I want report (2003) told us that young people want:

Local, accessible services
Staff who are welcoming, inclusive, friendly and non-judgmental
To be listened to
A confidential service provided by a mix of staff
To know what services are on offer and when they are available
Good information and support
Services that look at the whole person, not just their sexual health.

Go to the resources for professionals page within the Downloads and Campaigns section for a copy of the full report.

Recommendations for making your practice accessible to young people

Make first impressions count

We all know how important a friendly greeting is and it’s useful to know that sometimes ‘bravado’ or ‘messing around’ from young people can be a mask for anxiety or embarrassment.

Target information

Make information easily available and display material with young people in mind
Relevant topics include counselling, relationships, contraception, depression, eating disorders, drugs, self-harm, alcohol and smoking.

Advertise young people’s services

Be aware of and promote young people’s services
Provide information about when and where they are available, whether they are based at your practice or elsewhere.

Be clear about confidentiality

Use posters and leaflets to let young people know what confidentiality means
All staff should be sensitive to confidentiality and what it means should be explained at the start of a consultation.

Provide an inclusive service

Whatever their age or gender, recognise the diversity of young people. Some young people
may appreciate displays about LGBT issues or in another language.

Make young people’s health issues a key part of your practice’s development

Put young people’s health, including sexual health, on the agenda for practice meetings
Let other professionals (such as school nurses) know how young people can access your service
Organise staff training in young people’s health issues and how to communicate effectively with young people.

Involve parents

Encourage parents to talk to their children about relationships and sexual health. Let
them know how your practice supports young people and have relevant leaflets available
Consider running a GP Birthday Card initiative.

Start your own young person’s drop-in

Consider starting a clinic that’s open at convenient times for young people. You could do this with support from Healthy Respect.

If your organisation would like a visit from the Healthy Respect services team contact Healthy Respect on 0131 536 9454.

Services Resources

Healthy Respect has developed resources to support and promote the Healthy Respect Drop-in Network. If your organisation signs up with Healthy Respect to become an accredited Drop-in, we will provide a Drop-in clinic starter kit free of charge. The kit contains:

Customised drop-in cards with holders
(minimum x200 cards)
banner and/or poster indicating the drop-in is part of the network
name badges for staff
template posters
leaflet racks
door/window stickers (indicating the drop-in is part of the Healthy Respect network and detailing opening times)
rights and responsibilities cards (x50)
rights and responsibilities poster (x2)
confidentiality poster (x2)
How confidentiality works booklet (x25)
comments/suggestion box (x1)
table cloth (x1)
safe ‘n’ sorted (x50).

Other resources which support our services work can be viewed in the Downloads and Campaigns section.

Address book of services for young people

To complement the Healthy Respect safe’n’sorted (2008) resource for young people, the Address Book section of this website lists all young people’s services offering generic and sexual health info. The safe’n’sorted resource is available to all S3 pupils in schools and available in all drop-ins and a range of community and youth club settings.

If your organisation is not listed in the addressbook and you would like it to be, please contact us at Healthy Respect on 0131 536 9454. If your organisation’s contact details need updating please let us know as soon as possible.

Did you know that there is a young person friendly service at GUM every Mon-Thurs at 4pm starting from the end of June 2008, where you can just drop in for a range of information on sexual health issues, c:card, testing and treatment on all STIs and contraception including emergency contraception.

There is also a young person friendly drop-in at Family Planning & Well Woman Service every
Mon-Wed at 3.30-4.30pm where you can get a range of information on sexual health issues, c:card, all forms of contraception including emergency contraception, and chlamydia testing and treatment.

Involving Young People Young People, Sex and the Law Supporting Education and Training