Every body needs to know
Special education project
Opportunity for Queensland schools to access student education sessions and teacher professional development. FPQ will work with you to develop a package that is flexible and responsive to the specific needs of your students and their families as well as teaching staff. Find out how your school can support the sexuality and relationships education needs of students with a disability.
FPQ received the Excellence in Improving Health Outcomes Award at the National Disability Awards in Canberra in November 2012.
Read more or view footage screened on the night.
FPQ also received the Education Initiative Award during Child Protection week in September 2012.
Disability resources
View the Disability resources flyer
Every
body needs to know A highly acclaimed sexuality and relationships
education resource for teaching children, young people and adults with
a disability. Topics covered include: bodies, puberty, periods, relationships,
sexual relationships, pregnancy information, feeling good, being safe
and sexual health checks.
Free activity books Enable parents, carers and professionals to support sexuality and relationships education for people with a disability. Include activities, worksheets and picture cards to discuss topics such as bodies, public and private, puberty and decisions about sexual relationships.
Feel
Safe CD Promotes personal safety for young people with learning
needs, using interactive games to explore the stories of six young people
aged 12-16 years.
Everyone’s got a bottom A colourful storybook for parents and carers that helps gently start conversations about personal safety with children aged 3 to 8. Winner of the 2007 Child Protection Week Award for an Education Initiative.
I have the right to be safe A booklet for children and the Feel Safe – promoting self protection factsheet for parents and carers offer important information to help teach and learn personal safety skills.
Safe Relationships Safer Sex A
brochure for people with a learning difficulty or disability that supports
conversations about saying yes or no to sexual activity as well as being
safe and happy.
Contraception A brochure that describes the most common forms of contraception and uses pictures to help explain how they are used.
About Periods brochure is a brochure for young women and women with a disability and the About Periods factsheet for parents and carers explain what a period is, how often they occur and provide a step by step visual guide to changing a pad or tampon, along with support for teaching these skills.
Traffic Lights DVD and brochure package provides a guide for professionals to identify, understand and respond to sexual behaviours in school settings. It uses a case study of a young person with a disability, to explore how to identify and plan responses to sexual behaviours in the school and home environment. Sexuality and relationships education strategies are also provided.
FPQ's Teacher Resource Centre is an online portal packed with information to help teachers prepare for and implement sexuality and relationships education (SRE) programs in their school. The site includes easily accessible lesson plan ideas, research to support SRE, curriculum links, activities, short videos of teachers and students taking part in SRE lessons and more. Some lessons have been developed for students with a disability.
Disability Services
FPQ offers workshops and training to support parents, carers and professionals in learning strategies to talk about sexuality and relationships with children, young people and adults with a disability. Group programs are available for people with a disability and FPQ also offers a consultation service to schools and organisations to support positive responses to sexuality and relationships and sexual behaviours for children, young people and adults with a disability.
Services for:
Visit our training calendar to see what’s on. FPQ can provide nationally recognised or customised training tailored to your organisation's needs. Contact us for more information.
View the Disability services flyer
Sexuality, relationships and disability
Family Planning Queensland (FPQ) advocates that people with a disability must be acknowledged as sexual beings, and have access to information and resources to support informed choices about relationships and sexual and reproductive health. It is essential that people with a disability be supported to make choices and decisions that offer the least restrictive alternative to their health and lifestyle.
View FPQ’s full position statement on sexuality and disability
Talking about sexuality and relationships
Parents, carers and key professionals such as teachers and support workers are often best placed to provide sexuality and relationships education (SRE) to people with a disability.
Learning about sexuality is a life-long process, and as a parent, carer or professional, teaching sexuality is an ongoing conversation and not just a ‘one-off’ talk about ‘the facts’. Research1 suggests people with a disability benefit and learn more from sexuality information that is repeated and reinforced in the home, school and in support services.
One of the best ways to provide SRE is to share small amounts of clear, correct and positive information. It is best for this information to come from the adults in the person’s life that they know and trust. As a parent, carer or professional, you may be the person in the best position to provide assistance and respond to the needs and questions that a child, young person or adult has.
Most parents, carers and professionals recognise the importance of children, young people and adults with a disability having accurate, age-appropriate SRE. The important thing to remember is that it is never too early or too late to start talking about sexuality.
FPQ encourages and supports parents, carers and professionals to work together to promote healthy attitudes and communication of sexuality issues.
1. Ballan, M. (2001). Parents as sexuality educators for their children with developmental disabilities. Siecus report, 29(3), 14-19.