Sex Education Lessons For Parents From fpa
fpa (formerly Family Planning Association) will today launch a new video called 'Talking to your kids about sex'. It is aimed at parents with children coming up to puberty and will provide information and advice on how to discuss sex with their children.
The video follows a fictitious couple, Sally and Martin, who know they should talk to their children about sex but are too embarrassed and don't know where to begin. Practical advice is given by sex and relationships experts Dr David Delvin and Christine Webber. A booklet accompanying the video gives advice on how to deal with specific questions or situations and provides sources of further information.
New research carried out by MORI on behalf of fpa shows that the vast majority of parents believe that they should be a significant source of information and advice about sex and relationships (see attached summary). However, studies show that relatively few parents actually do discuss sex with their children in any real depth.
Whilst some people believe that talking to young people about sex encourages early sexual activity and experimentation, research has repeatedly shown the opposite to be true. Open and honest communication with young people can raise the age of first sexual activity, reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy and lower the rate of sexually transmitted infections.
Whilst parents should be a significant source of information about sex and relationships, fpa believes that it should be a shared responsibility with schools. At present SRE provision by schools is variable in content and quality. Young people say their sex education is too little, too late and too biological. The government's recent SRE guidance recommended that classroom teaching about puberty is delayed until the transition year of primary school, year 6. However, many girls in particular will start their periods and begin to experience the other changes that puberty brings long before the transition year.
fpa's new MORI research shows that parents want their children to learn about puberty at an early age. Over half of the women interviewed would like their children to start receiving information about puberty between the ages of 8-10.
Anne Weyman, fpa Chief Executive said "We believe that open and honest communication with young people about sex should take place from an early age, certainly before puberty, both at home and in school. In producing this video we are hoping to support parents in tackling a subject we know many of them find difficult to discuss. However, crucially, we want to see the provision of consistent, good quality sex and relationships education in all primary schools".
'Talking to your kids about sex' has been funded by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit and BUPA. Dr David Costain, Deputy Medical Director at BUPA said "Many parents find it awkward or embarrassing to approach these issues so this video is a very responsible way of helping them".
- The video costs 1639.99. To order a copy please call 01865 719418 (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm) or send a cheque to fpa Direct, PO Box 1078, East Oxford DO, Oxfordshire, OX4 6JE. Please allow up to 21 days for delivery. Offer only applicable in the UK.
Topline Results
- Interviews conducted among 607 adults, aged 16+, throughout Great Britain.
- All respondents are parents or guardians of children aged 0 to 15 years.
- Fieldwork carried out face-to-face, in-home.
- Interviews used CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) between 6-11 July 2000.
- Data weighted to GB population profile
- Where results do not sum to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding or multiple responses
- An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than zero
- Base: all parents/ guardians of children aged 0 to 15 years
Q1 From this list, who do you think should be a significant source of information and advice for young people about sex and relationships?
| % | |
| Parents | 92 |
| Teachers | 68 |
| Professional Associations(e.g. The Family Planning Association, Brook Advisory Centres etc) | 46 |
| Doctors | 44 |
| Other relatives | 15 |
| Friends | 13 |
| Don't know | * |
| None of the above | 1 |
| Refused | 1 |
Q2 At what age do you feel that children should begin to get information about the body changes they will experience during puberty?
| % | |
| Under 5 | 2 |
| 5-7 | 10 |
| 8-10 | 48 |
| 11-13 | 31 |
| 14-16 | 2 |
| Over 16 | 1 |
| Don't know | 6 |
| Refused | 1 |
Q3 Has you child/ren ever asked questions about sex which caused you to feel embarrassed or awkward?
| % | |
| Yes | 16 |
| No | 82 |
| Don't know | 1 |
| Refused | 1 |
