Sexual Health and Relationships
The registered person should ensure that young people are provided with suitable, good quality, up to date information, support and advice on matters relating to sexual health and relationships.
Any specific requirements must be incorporated into the young person's Placement Plan.
Staff must adopt a non-judgemental attitude toward young people, particularly as they mature and develop an awareness of their bodies and their sexuality.
Staff must adopt the same approach to young people who are questioning or wish to explore their sexual identity or who have decided to embrace a particular lifestyle (so long as it is not abusive or illegal).
Young people who are confused about their sexual identity or indicate they have a preference must be afforded equal access to accurate information, education and support.
As necessary this must be addressed in Placement or Care Plans.
Older young people are likely to be curious about sex and relationships and may search online for pornographic or sexual material. It is important that staff have an open discussion with young people about pornographic images and the impact that viewing these can have on young people and their own developing relationships. The NSPCC have produced comprehensive guidance on how to talk to young people about online porn and healthy relationships.
For more information, please see Online porn - Advice on how to talk to your child about the risks of online porn and sexually explicit material (NSPCC).
If young people are engaging in sexual activity staff should support the young person to take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of pregnancy or infection. This could include facilitating contact or signposting to the agencies providing contraceptive advice, such as the Brook Advisory Service or local Sexual Health Services.
Matters of concern must be discussed with the social worker and addressed in Placement Plans.
If a young person is suspected or known to be pregnant the registered person /key worker should talk to the young person about who should be informed and what support the young person may require to promote their own and the unborn baby's welfare.
The young person's social worker should be informed and should collaborate with the young person in drawing up a suitable plan for the promotion of the welfare of the parent-to-be and the unborn child. A decision will be taken by the young person about when and whether the young person's parents will be told.
In all cases where there are any concerns that the pregnant young person or the unborn child is suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm, the registered person must discuss it with the young person's social worker with a view to making a Child Protection referral. In these circumstances it must be explained to the young person why their request for confidentiality cannot be agreed. See Safeguarding Young People and Referring Safeguarding Concerns Procedure.
See Consent and Delegation of Authority Procedure.
Where a young person wishes to terminate a pregnancy, the social worker must be notified/consulted with a view to providing advice, counselling and support by suitably qualified independent counsellors. The young person if they have capacity would make this decision.
If the termination goes ahead, the registered person must ensure that the young person's privacy is protected and any physical or emotional needs are addressed sensitively.
The following should be read in conjunction with relevant Safeguarding Children Procedures. Please see the Safeguarding Young People and Referring Safeguarding Concerns Procedure.
The registered person and all staff of the Service must be alert to signs of sexual exploitation, and should do all they can to create an environment which encourages young people to be open about their experiences and which offers them support.
Where there is any suspicion that a young people is being sexually exploited, it should be addressed in the young person's Placement or Care Plan.
Where a young person living in the Service is being sexually exploited, their social worker must be notified.
See also: Safeguarding Young People from Sexual Exploitation Procedure.
Also see: Blood Borne Viruses Procedure.
If it is known or suspected that a young person has a sexually transmitted infection the registered person and social worker must be informed and decide what measures to take.
The young person should be referred to the local Sexual Health Clinic, who will provide the young person and staff with advice, counselling, testing and other support.
Other people in the group living setting should only be informed if there is a direct risk to them, for example if the infected person has deliberately attempted to infect them.
The only other individual who will be told is the GP.
Before disclosing to any other agency or individual, the following criteria must be satisfied
- The young person has given their written consent to the disclosure;
- Those receiving the information are aware of its confidential nature.
The permission of the young person aged 16 or over must be given before testing.
It is accepted that masturbation is part of normal sexual behaviour but young people must be positively encouraged to undertake such activities in private and in a manner which is not harmful to themselves or other people.
The following should be read in conjunction with relevant Safeguarding Children Procedures for the area in which the Service is located.
The possibility of child-on-child abuse should always be taken seriously. However, it is important not to label or stigmatise normal sexual exploration and experimentation between young people.
Sexual behaviour is not necessarily a cause for concern unless it is compulsive, coercive, age-inappropriate or between children and young people of significantly different ages, maturity or mental abilities.
If at any time staff suspect young people are engaged in abusive sexual relationships as perpetrators and/or victims, they must immediately inform the registered person, who must consult the social worker and make a referral under the Safeguarding Young People and Referring Safeguarding Concerns Procedure.
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Last Updated: February 20, 2023
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