In this episode, Dr. Tess Opie from inyourskin is joined by our three experts: Vanessa Hamilton, Anne Atcheson and Dr Jacqui Hendriks PhD to give you their top tips for parents & carers on how to talk to your kids about...sex. 

This is episode 4 of a 4-part series dedicated to sexual health for tweens and teens. This series is for all the parents, carers and important people in young people’s lives that want to get some answers to all of those tricky questions we have around:

• What’s happening in their world?
• Top tips on what to watch out for.
• What the research is telling us is actually going on.

For Shownotes and More information, visit: https://lifeed.org.au/resources/parents/life-ed-conversations-ep-4/
For more information about Life Ed, visit: http://www.lifeed.org.au
For more resources for this and our following episodes on Sexual Health, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/LifeEdPodcastSexEdResources

In this episode, Dr. Tess Opie from inyourskin interviews Dr Jacqui Hendriks PhD from Curtin University about what the research is telling us regarding the perception of parents in Relationships and Sexuality education at schools, and what their main concerns are.

This is episode 3 of a 4-part series dedicated to sexual health for tweens and teens. This series is for all the parents, carers and important people in young people’s lives that want to get some answers to all of those tricky questions we have around:

• What’s happening in their world?
• Top tips on what to watch out for.
• What the research is telling us is actually going on.

For Shownotes and More information, visit: https://lifeed.org.au/resources/parents/life-ed-conversations-ep-3/
For more information about Life Ed, visit: http://www.lifeed.org.au
For more resources for this and our following episodes on Sexual Health, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/LifeEdPodcastSexEdResources

Main topics of this episode:

• Dr Jacqui Hendriks conducted a national online survey asking parents with children in primary or secondary school about their support for relationship and sexuality education (RSE) in schools.
• Overwhelmingly, 90% of parents were supportive of RSE being taught in schools and the level of support for 40 specific RSE topics exceeded 95%.
• Some parents had reservations about certain RSE topics, such as gender diversity, sexual orientation, sexual pleasure, and masturbation, but even for these issues, the majority of parents were supportive.
• To address concerns of reluctant parents and caregivers, schools can show them the RSE curriculum materials and have a frank conversation about what topics will be covered, which can alleviate anxiety and equip parents to continue the conversation at home.

In this episode, Dr. Tess Opie from inyourskin interviews Anne Atcheson from Sexual Health Victoria and Doing IT Podcast  about what parents can expect from schools regarding support on sexuality and relationships education.

This is episode 2 of a 4-part series dedicated to sexual health for tweens and teens. This series is for all the parents, carers and important people in young people’s lives that want to get some answers to all of those tricky questions we have around:

• What’s happening in their world?
• Top tips on what to watch out for.
• What the research is telling us is actually going on.

For Shownotes and More information, visit: https://lifeed.org.au/resources/parents/life-ed-conversations-ep-2/
For more information about Life Ed, visit: http://www.lifeed.org.au
For more resources for this and our following episodes on Sexual Health, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/LifeEdPodcastSexEdResources

Main topics of this episode:

In the podcast, Anne Atcheson discusses her work as an educator in the schools and community team, running education sessions for all year levels that explore bodies, growing up, puberty, sex, reproduction, and relationships.

• Atcheson explains that the support parents and caregivers can expect from their child's school regarding relationships and sexuality education varies from school to school. However, in Victoria, there is a respectful relationships initiative that schools should be delivering.
• Anne encourages parents to ask their child's school what their relationships and sexuality program looks like, including content and delivery. She also suggests asking who is in charge of the program, what time is allocated to it, and what the leadership thinks of it.
• She notes that relationships and sexuality education might be broader than people think and can include topics such as safety, body autonomy, and safe spaces. Ideally, teachers should be upskilled to have inclusive language and promote open conversations all the way through school.
• Atcheson encourages schools to proactively communicate information about their relationships and sexuality education program to parents. She also suggests that schools provide support packages for families, such as information evenings and resources to help parents know what to say and when to say it.

In this episode, Dr. Tess Opie from inyourskin interviews Vanessa Hamilton from Talking the Talk Sexuality Education.

This is episode 1 of a 4-part series dedicated to sexual health for tweens and teens. This series is for all the parents, carers and important people in young people’s lives that want to get some answers to all of those tricky questions we have around:

• What’s happening in their world?
• Top tips on what to watch out for.
• What the research is telling us is actually going on.

For Shownotes and More information, visit: Life Ed Conversations Ep 1 - Life Ed Australia
For more information about Life Ed, visit: http://www.lifeed.org.au
For more resources for this and our following episodes on Sexual Health, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/LifeEdPodcastSexEdResources 

Who is Vanessa Hamilton?

"For more than 25 years I have worked as sexual health nurse and educator and now help teachers and parents educate children and young people." Vanessa Hamilton

Vanessa Hamilton is a renowned sexuality, respectful relationships and consent educator. She is the founder of the education business; Talking The Talk Healthy Sexuality Education. She is a highly regarded author, speaker, writer and educator. She educates and supports teachers & parents to be the main, positive, source of information for children. With more than 25 years of experience as a sexual health nurse and over 18 years as an educator, and mother of three teens, Vanessa has had tens of thousands of conversations about sex and sexuality.

Special Guest and interviewer: Dr Tess Opie – inyourskin

Dr Tessa Opie is the founder and director of inyourskin, which delivers Relationships and Sexuality Education to schools, sporting clubs and other organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Her approach is sex-positive, evidence-based, and harm-reduction-focused.

Main topics:

• The episode focuses on common concerns that parents and caregivers have when it comes to school-based relationships and sexuality education. Vanessa shares that many parents worry about saying the wrong thing, not knowing what language to use, sexualizing children, and giving children ideas. She suggests that parents should be positive and open about sexuality education and that it's better to say something than nothing, and that they lose their innocence not when talked about these topics, but when they are exposed to it (at school, because of their friends, or just browsing online) and they had no previous preparation on sexuality education to help them navigate the topic.
• Vanessa also emphasizes that parents are the main educators when it comes to sexuality education and that it's never too early or too late to start having these conversations. She suggests starting when children are babies by naming body parts in a shame-free way, but if that isn't the case, parents should start now.
• Tess notes that sometimes these concerns from parents and caregivers can present barriers to young people accessing information that they need to increase their health and safety. Vanessa agrees and suggests that a positive attitude towards sexuality education can lead to safer and happier young people with better health and well-being outcomes.
• Vanessa also recommends that parents revisit conversations about sexuality education rather than thinking of it as a one-time chat. She suggests that it's okay to admit when you don't know the answer to a question and to come back to it later with a thoughtful response.