The schools, disability and community team at Sexual Health Victoria is made up of dedicated, experienced educators who understand the importance and impact of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE).
Sexual Health Victoria (SHV) can support your school, organisation or community in taking proactive steps towards promoting young people’s understanding of, and ability to experience healthy and respectful relationships. SHV offers a range of services to help you deliver best practice Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) to your student through the delivery of the everyBODY Education Program as well as community, disability and professional development options.
Sexual Health Victoria offers:
- Direct delivery of RSE by our expert educators to students
- Training for professionals to be confident in delivering RSE to students
- Parent/carer sessions for the school community
- Online resources and tools for educators to use free of charge
- Youth and Community Education
- Cognitive Disability education and training
- eLearning modules to support the delivery of RSE
Our services are evidence-based and align with governmental curriculum and policy. The Victorian Department of Education mandates the delivery of RSE through the Sexuality and Consent Education Policy. Relationships and Sexuality are a focus area within the Victorian Health and Physical Education Curriculum f-10. In 2022 the Australian Curriculum was updated to include consent education from f-10. Victorian Child Safe Standards direct that any institution working with young people take steps to keep young people safe in their physical and online environments, including delivering sexual abuse prevention programs where appropriate. SHV is also guided by the UNESCO document International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education.
SHV everyBODY Education programs complement the Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) initiative. While RRRR covers respect, identity and relationships, SHV specifically talks to aligned topics of identity, sexual and reproductive anatomy, sex and sexual health.
SHV is a trusted eSafety Provider as we provide education around sexuality which is a protective factor for young people on and offline. eSafety also recommends a whole school approach to online safety education which is integrated and addresses specific risks such as grooming, sharing sexual pictures and pornography. See eSafety Best Practice Framework.
SHV is aware of the importance of representing the diversity of sex, sexuality and gender within RSE. LGBTIQA+ families and young people can feel confident that care is taken to ensure everybody is included. This is supported by the Victorian Department of Education LGBTIQA+ Student Support Policy.
RSE should be made available for young people in any setting. SHV offers education services to support young people with cognitive disability and young people in out-of-home care settings.
SHV has an approach to RSE which is informed by evidence, ethics, intersectionality, inclusion and trauma-informed practice. We strive to deliver sex-positive, inclusive content in which all people can see themselves recognised and celebrated.
In our experience, young people have direct and explicit questions about a range of topics including sexual and reproductive anatomy, sex and sexual consent throughout their school years. We understand that for some educators, it can be difficult to answer for a range of reasons.
We encourage everyone to think more broadly about relationship education and implement a whole-school or whole-of-community approach. It is SHV's firm belief that relationships and sexuality education are a shared responsibility between school, home, and community. Quality, comprehensive RSE is a protective factor for young people. It teaches and provides the skills, knowledge and understanding to engage in healthy relationships and understand their rights and responsibilities.
Find out more about our team of expert educators here.
We encourage you to explore our website and listen to the 'Doing It' podcast back catalogue to build confidence talking about consent, sex, and healthy relationships.
Contact us today to discuss how we can support you and your students in the teaching of Relationships and Sexuality Education.
03 9257 0191 or email [email protected]