How to engage vulnerable young people in accessing sexual health 

Laura Hamzic is Brook’s Director of Digital and Communications. In this blog she shares some practical tips on how to engage at-risk young people in accessing sexual health support and services. 

The first thing to say is that we know young people don’t like being described as vulnerable. They want to be seen as a person – not a problem! 

When working with young people it’s essential that we don’t ignore their circumstances and lived reality.

We must acknowledge the multi-faceted and interconnected nature of some of their issues and experiences. We have to acknowledge their protected characteristics and our own unconscious bias. 

That’s why we welcome the change in terminology for describing young people, from ‘hard to reach’ which would have been common a few years ago, to ‘easy to ignore’ as it rightfully places the emphasis of responsibility on us as professionals and service providers. 

I have worked with colleagues across the organisation to come up with five top tips in engaging at risk and easy to ignore young people in accessing sexual health. 

1. TALK TO THEM 

It sounds obvious but asking young people what they think and what they need is so important. It’s easy to presume we know – but things are changing dramatically, all the time.  

Participation is central to our work at Brook. We ask young people about the clinic experience, our social media output, they test and feedback on all our digital services, our education resources and they help to shape and deliver our external political, advocacy and campaigning work. We also have two young people on our board of trustees. 

2. Spread the word 

How we promote our services is key, and by that, I mean both the mechanisms as well as the words and imagery. 

It’s easy to underestimate things like Google Business, but last year, 44k calls were made to our clinics from our Google Business Profiles. Social media is another great way to reach young people, as well as websites. 

Whatever the communication channel, be it ads on social media, on our website or posters and flyers, we try to follow these core principles:  

• We test as much as possible with young people and users. 
• We use language and imagery which is supportive, inclusive and engaging.  
• We are serious about accessibility. This means not only meeting core standards like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines but also taking additional steps to create content and messaging at a level that can be easily understood by all clients.  
• We use branding that creates the impression of sexual health being something positive.  

3. Go with them 

We can’t expect that all the young people who need us will come to us.

Here are some of the ways we do outreach and engagement at Brook: 

• We have ‘go anywhere’ peripatetic Nurse-led Teams that have a particular focus on reaching and supporting the most vulnerable and digitally impoverished priority-groups 
• Condom Distribution Schemes  
• We attend health promotion events such college or freshers fairs  
• We have a partnership with Festival Republic with our staff handing out over 35k condoms across festivals over the summer  
• We train peer educators to become Young Health Champions through a programme of work accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health 

As well as these more general routes, we also deliver more targeted approaches like My Life, which is one-to-one support for at-risk young people.  

4. create a welcoming space

For us, creating a welcoming space starts with our choice of clinic location. One of our newest services in Southend opened in the main shopping centre, providing a beautiful space than says loudly and proudly – sexual health provision does not have to be hidden away. 

In terms of the inside of our services, we looked at the research on waiting room experiences and the impact that improved design can have on perceptions of quality of care and reducing stress. 

In parallel to our bricks and mortar provision, we have worked really hard over the last 2 years to develop digital alternatives. Again, this is designed with the input of young people, using language and concepts we know they understand. 

5. Create a safe space

The last tip is probably the most important – and that’s to create a safe space for young people. Our commitment to creating a safe space means that Brook always works in a way that is trauma-informed. Here are the core tenets of this approach:  

Safety

A fundamental part of trauma is that it disrupts our sense of safety. At Brook, we work hard to establish a sense of safety for young people – in everything from our communication with them, to the physical setting. It also starts with an organisation committing to fighting any form of stigma or discrimination. 

Trustworthiness  

Trust is one of Brook’s core values. It is central to everything we do but it is especially vital when working with people who have experienced trauma and have been let down and traumatised by those who they trusted. 

Empowerment 

Trauma can leave people feeling like they have been robbed of their own personal power and agency. So it’s important we think of ways to support young people to claim back some of their power. We work hard to identify and build on young people’s strengths and help them develop new skills as necessary.  

Choice 

Often trauma takes away someone’s ability to choose what happens to them and to have autonomy over their lives and even their bodies. We do not force young people to do anything, we may suggest and support them in their choices but we do not want to re-traumatise them by taking away their ability to choose.

Collaboration 

Brook is person-centred and needs-led. We don’t do things to young people, they are part of the decision and discussion about their own health. They are always the expert in their own lives and experiences and we can help support or guide them at different points. 

I’ve run through some practical ways you can engage young people but whatever it is we do, we want young people to feel empowered and safe, and we want them to have agency. Vitally, we must commit to building trust and relationships. We can never stop working on this. For young people and families living with prior and ongoing trauma, each day can bring a new struggle.

Interactions with us – however big or small – can provide a sanctuary. 

It goes without saying that good training on how to engage with young people is key. Anything we can do to enhance our knowledge and strengthen our approaches will help you bring young people in and keep them coming back.  

We also need to look after ourselves in order to keep doing the best for young people. The level of complexity and vulnerability we are dealing with keeps on rising – and at Brook, we see the effect that the work we do has on our colleagues.