The HSE have launched a new suite of relationship and sexuality resources which supports parents to have ongoing conversations with their children, adolescents and young adults. Research confirms that parents matter when talking to their young children about Relationships, Sexuality and Growing Up.
The Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP), HSE Health and Wellbeing, has added new resources to their educational range for parents titled ‘Making the Big Talk Many Small Talks’. The range aims to support ongoing conversations between parents and children about relationships, sexuality and growing up. It was developed in response to studies showing that both parents and children want to communicate with each other about relationships and sexuality topics, but they often face challenges in doing so.
The resources were launched at an in person conversations event attended by parents, those in parental roles, representatives from the Irish Second-level Students’ Union and Comhairle na nÓg, and professionals working with, or on behalf of, young people and their families.
A recording of the event, with many insightful inputs from key stakeholders, is now available to view on the HSE Health and Wellbeing YouTube channel https://youtu.be/xAevc0AQsiY.
The resources launched are:
- Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks, for parents of 13 – 18 year olds (booklets for parents of 4-7 year olds, and 8-12 year olds are already available)
- Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks’, Video collection. Nine short animated videos for parents of young children.
- Research Summary: The importance of parental communication in supporting children’s and young people’s relationship and sexuality development.
Full details, including how to access the new and existing resources are available on https://www.sexualwellbeing.ie/for-parents/resources/.
