Wokingham

Research announced recently by the Trust for the Study of Adolescence highlighted that many young people wish they had waited longer before having sex. And, here in the Wokingham district, some 20 professionals have recently received training in the delayed programme of work to encourage young people to delay sexual activity.

During the Wokingham one-day training session held in May, professionals, including healthy schools co-ordinators, connexions’ workers, health workers, school nurses and social workers from the Wokingham district, learnt new skills that will help them work with young people on a range of issues. These professionals will be using their news skill to offer advice to young people, in school and at places such as youth clubs, on contraception and sexual health as well as sex and relationship education.

The Wokingham health and social care professionals will cascade information out to young people and will talk and offer advice on:

* Knowing when they are ready to have sex
* Talking and negotiating with partners before having sex
* Skills to resist peer pressure and say no
* Looking to other things to achieve the sense of belonging they may feel they get from having sex, such as friendships, achieving goals and working in the community.

Georgina Clarke, Wokingham teenage pregnancy co-ordinator, said: “Evaluation of the course has outlined that professionals now feel more confident discussing with young people about delaying their sexual activity until they feel they are ready. Professionals participating in this course also felt that issuing contraception to young people should be delivered alongside the delay programme. This will ultimately help young people to make informed choices, which will in turn reduce the number of young people who regret sex.”

The Trust for the Study of Adolescence released its research on May 21, and it highlighted that two in five 15 to18-year-olds wish they had waited longer before having sex and three in 10 lost their virginity for negative reasons such as being drunk. This was a London school based survey with 3,007 pupils.

Wokingham District Council