Family Planning Queensland (FPQ) is currently developing a model to support the professional development of Queensland secondary school teachers in their delivery of sexuality and relationships education (SRE) to students in years 8 and 9.

Young people are already making decisions about sex and relationships. As the report Secondary Students and Sexual Health highlights, 27% of students in year 10 have engaged in sexual intercourse, and this figure is 56% for year 12 students¹. Teachers can support young people to make healthy choices about sex and relationships through the delivery of effective SRE.

The research literature reveals a number of factors which contribute to successful implementation of effective SRE, including:

• Involvement of parents/carers and the community;
• Improving teachers’ confidence levels in teaching SRE, especially the sense that they are supported to do so;
• Managing the media reaction to SRE;
• Negotiating competing curriculum demands;
• Building community connections; and,
• Acknowledging young people as sexual beings²³⁴.

FPQ’s approach has been developed based on these factors for success. The strategies that FPQ plans to deliver in this project include:

• Development of teacher networks that offer a support for their delivery of SRE;
• Online support of these networks via the Working with young people website and the Teacher Resource Centre, through the use of a discussion board, vod-casts and on-line distribution of resources;
• Facilitation of professional development showcasing examples of good practices in the delivery of SRE;
• Social research with teachers and with parents/ carers from the local community to clarify their expectations from SRE.

These strategies will be implemented in two locations in Queensland in 2011 which will be chosen based on epidemiological data. On completion of this pilot phase, FPQ will seek additional resources to expand the project reach.

For more information on how FPQ supports teachers, go to the Teacher Resource Centre

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