Brook position statement - a model for working with young people

Brook wants to see a society that values all children, young people and their developing sexuality.   As a result it believes it is important to organise its work around three core activities of clinical and support services, education and training, and advocacy, campaigning and lobbying in order to provide a holistic service to young people.   

Brook’s position on working with young people

Brook wants to see a society that values all children, young people and their developing sexuality.   We want all young people to be supported to develop the self-confidence, skills and understanding they need to enjoy and take responsibility for their sexual lives, sexual health and emotional well being.

In order to achieve this Brook organises its work around three core areas of activity:

• Clinical and support services
• Education and training
• Advocacy, campaigning, lobbying and influencing

Clinical and support services

Brook believes that clinical and support services should be delivered both in central locations such as Brook Centres and taken out to young people in community venues that they feel confident using.

Services should be holistic and provide contraceptive advice and supplies including free condoms and emergency contraception, STI testing and treatment, pregnancy testing and counselling, referral for abortion or antenatal care, counselling for emotional, relationship and other issues and education in the waiting room and community venues.

Young people say that services must be confidential and free, open at times convenient to them, in locations they can easily reach, provided by friendly, non-judgemental staff and well publicised(1).

Brook believes it is crucial to provide integrated contraceptive and STI services in the Centre and in community settings to reduce stigma and make services more accessible to young people.

Young people should be involved in the development and evaluation of services so that services are built around their needs and in furtherance of their entitlements under the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child to be consulted and involved.

Outreach and education work with marginalised communities and satellite provision in acceptable and easily accessible locations is crucial to engage with groups who find it difficult to use mainstream services.

Counselling is central to the integrated service offered by Brook to young people.   It enables Brook to work safely and effectively with younger age groups, helping young people to avoid being pressurised into early sex, identify where they may be at risk, build their self esteem and negotiating skills and develop positive personal relationships.     It also enables Brook to provide non-judgemental and non-directive support for those facing unplanned pregnancy.

Education and training

Brook’s education and training programme is aimed at both young people and professionals.

Education work with children and young people supports their emotional development and learning of life-skills while training and education packages for professionals share what Brook has learnt from its front-line work.

Brook believes that effective education work with young people is central to ensuring that health promotion and services are relevant and accessible to young people at greatest risk based on research evidence that sex education combined with easy access to services instrumental in delaying first sex and encouraging contraceptive use.

Young people tell us they want information and advice delivered by young people’s organisations like Brook through visits to schools and youth clubs for example.     Reaching out to young people where they are is an effective means of taking information and educational messages to those most vulnerable to risk-taking behaviours.

Advocacy, campaigning, lobbying and influencing

Brook aims to affect long term cultural, legal and policy change that enables children and young people to get the education, support and services they need to enjoy and take responsibility for their relationships, sexual choices and sexual health.

In particular Brook believes that we need to create a culture which is accepting of young people’s sexual development and has high expectations for young people so that they develop high expectations for themselves and their relationships.

Brook will develop its advocacy, campaigning and lobbying work in partnership with young people so that their ideas are combined with our experience to ensure our work contributes to cultural change.

References

1 Brook, Someone with a smile would be your best bet, 1998

Publication date: November 2011