Sexual Health Network Goulburn Valley and Northeast Victoria
The Sexual Health Network meetings, organised and facilitated by CERSH, are held on a quarterly basis.The purpose of the network is to facilitate opportunities for professional development, discussion and debate, and sharing of promising practices; encourage cross service linkages and service integration; and promote a coordinated health promotion and clinical effort to maximise effort and utlisation of resources. Workers in the clinical, health promotion, education, youth and related fields are encouraged to attend. Approximately 30 workers attend each meeting.
July 2010
In July 2010 CERSH partnered with the Hume region PCPs to invite health professionals from northeast Victoria interested in sexual health to attend a ‘Think Tank’ in Benalla in order for CERSH to gauge the current level of interest and the capacity of Northeast Victoria to develop a Sexual Health Network. The focus of the network was to collaborate, partner and coordinate sexual health initiatives in the region. Thirty one participants attended this meeting including nurses, teachers, health promotion and community workers. The outcome of the meeting was the development of a network which agreed to meet approximately four times per year.
27th October 2010
This meeting provided an opportunity for Lauren Coelli from Gateway Community Health to talk about the recent establishment of the sexual health clinic, Clinic 35, in Wodonga. Lauren described the clinical model and approach Gateway has taken to offering sexual health clinical services and health promotion in this region. Jacque Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Numurkah District Health Service then presented information about the recent establishment of the youth health service, ‘The Hut’ in Numurkah.
Invitation: CERSH Network meeting 27.10.10
Cross fertilization of ideas and experiences within the network leads to the potential for enhanced sexual health service provision in other localities.
A positive outcome from the establishment of this network has been the initiation of development of a young person specific clinical service in Beechworth. At the inaugural meeting of the network; a guest speaker (CEO of the Numurkah Health Service) was invited by CERSH to present about how a young person specific health service had recently been established in Numurkah. By sharing this information and experience with the network participants, the impetus to recreate this success in Beechworth was formed and action has followed to investigate and establish a similar accessible clinical service for young people in Beechworth.
A discussion paper, written and distributed to the health promotion and sexual health field in October 2010 as one of the first steps undertaken by CERSH to explore the current context for sexual health promotion in the Hume region, was discussed at the network meeting. Those present at the meeting endorsed the proposed role of CERSH in taking a strategic role in supporting rural sexual health promotion through:
- leadership and coordination;
- project support;
- knowledge/evidence building;
- building workforce capacity for sexual health promotion;
- evaluation.
CERSH Health Promotion Discussion Paper October 2010
30th March 2011
The focus for this meeting was presentations from local agencies who facilitated programs funded by SHADE in 2011. A number of local initiatives were funded by SHADE to support innovative and creative projects encouraging young people to think about the choices they make about their sexual health and to celebrate sexual diversity. Programs were run during sexual health week, February 2011.
Each of these projects was asked to present at the network meeting, to describe their project, discuss the successes, and the key challenges and learning’s. There was also plenty of opportunity for interaction in order to support a learning environment for sexual health promotion.
Invitation: CERSH Sexual health Network meeting 30.3.11
Presentations:
Web Link:
http://www.joy.org.au/events/shadesofjoy
http://ashe.com.au/
15th June 2011
This Sexual Health Network meeting focused on sexual health and respectful relationship education and support in the school and education systems. Invited speakers included ARCSHS, CASA House, Safer Schools Coalition Victoria, and DEECD.
Invitation: Sexual health Network meeting 15th June 2011
Presentations:
The Australian Sexual Health Teachers Study: Jenny Walsh from Australian Research Centre in Sex Health & Society (ARCSHS) presented the findings from a study that builds a picture of what currently constitutes the sexual health education workforce in Australian Secondary Schools and document barriers and facilitators of successful sexual health education from the teacher's perspective. It also identifies best practice principles and minimum standards for sexual health teacher training, both pre and in-service.
Respectful relationships education and primary prevention: Pauline Gilbert from CASA House discussed the recently trialed whole school model for the prevention of gender-based violence in Victoria, and more broadly about the approach to primary prevention of gender based violence in school settings.
Web Link:http://www.casahouse.com.au/
Safe Schools Coalition: Jenny Walsh (ARCSHS) and Damien Stevens (UCCE) discussed the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria (SSCV), a coalition of schools and individuals dedicated to creating safer educational environments for same sex attracted and gender questioning young people, and opportunities for local communities and schools to get involved and join the coalition.
Web Link: http://safeschoolscoalitionvictoria.org.au/about
Sexuality education and respectful relationship curriculum at the local level: Karen McNamara from DEECD Hume region gave an overview of the sexuality education and respectful relationship curriculum in our state schools at primary and secondary levels.
14th September 2011
The focus for the 14 September 2011 meeting was the presentation by Louise Holland, Sexual Health/Community Nurse, Bendigo Community Health Service; and Stephanie Jelbart, Bendigo Loddon Primary Care Partnership Health Promotion Worker. They provided information about the Bendigo Loddon Sexual Health Task Group:
• The scope of the programs and activities coordinated by the Task Group
• The organisational structure and processes that support the work of this group
• The learnings from the past three years
• The future plan for this group
The network members then had an opportunity to discuss the ‘future picture’ for our region. It was decided that the next network meeting (30.11.11) would be dedicated to planning the future of our network.
Local presentations from workers and community members regarding their sexual health and respectful relationships initiatives and programs were given by:
• Kerry Burns, Upper Murray CASA: introducing UMCASA referral and information resource booklets
• David Mejia- Canales, Family Planning Victoria and Bobby Whybrow, VACCHO: future plans and funding opportunities for the Mind The Gap project
• Members of the Albury Wodonga Koori Sexual Health Planning Group: presentation about the recent sexual health forums and programs for parents and carer’s, and young people; and resource development to support workers working with young Koori mums and dads.
• Lorna Gillespie, UCCE: regarding the Communities of Care project in Shepparton and Cobram
Minutes: Sexual Health Network Meeting 14th September 2011
Bendigo Loddon PCP Sexual Health task Group Presentation
Short Film: Deadly Carers Day Out To Download: Right Click link- then Save Target As
Short Film: Won't lie to Ya, BUT...... To download: Right Click link- then Save Target As
30 November 2011 - Sexual Health Network Planning Day
As decided at the last network meeting, the primary purpose of this network meeting was to collectively plan the future of the network, and to consider its strategic direction. All workers in the clinical, health promotion, education, youth and related fields were warmly encouraged to attend.
Objectives:
- To explore how best to work collaboratively in our region towards some common goals in the sexual health arena
- To begin the process of identifying objectives and strategies for collective action
- To ensure that our decision making is based on available practice wisdom, evidence, current opportunities and strengths, and capacity of agencies and workers
Thanks to Julie Tyler, Kerry Burns, Aden Hemmerling, Darren Bates, Beth Hatch and Kylie Stephens for developing the format for the day, which included:
- Snap shots: policy context; epidemiology; clinical data and knowledge; health promotion approaches; the changing narrative and approach to sexual health
- Identifying opportunities for collaborative work
- Identifying emerging themes
- First steps for planning future action
In order to prepare for our planning day, the working group provided some questions for agencies to consider. Please discuss these questions with relevant workers, managers, teams. It will assist us to determine both our priorities and our capacity for collaborative action. Please adapt them to suit your work context.
- What are my organisations current and future plans and priorities regarding sexual health initiatives (prompts: as an individual worker, my team, whole of organisation)?
- What capacity (individual, team, organisational) do I have to partner and work collaboratively?
- What resources (individual, team, organisational) can we contribute to collaborative work?
What else is important to consider?
REPORT from Sexual Health Planning Day GV & NE Victoria 30 November 2011
ARCSHS Sexual Health Promotion in Human Rights
SNAPSHOT Changing Narrative and Approach to Sexual Health Education and Current Policy Context
SNAPSHOT Current Context in Sexual Health Promotion 30 November 2011
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Morning session:
- Q & A: Planning for new sexual health clinical services in rural Victoria
- Indepdendent evaluation of the Sexual Health Network
- A panel of workers representing services that have recently initiated new sexual health clinical services in our region, or are currently planning new services, have been invited to join a robust panel discussion. How will clinical services be offered? Who is involved and how has decison-making occurred at the local level? What have been the successes, the challenges, and the rural context in which services are being shaped? These questions and more will be discussed during the Q & A by:
- Beechworth Health Service - Youth Health Clinic
- Uniting Care Cutting Edge - Sexual health services for women from CALD communities
- Delatite Community Health - Youth Health Clinic
- Goulburn Valley Health - auspicing newly appointed Rural Sexual Health Nurse Practitioner Candidtate, Suzanne Wallis
- Mitchell Community Health - Sexual Health Clinic
- Consultants John Donnelly and Alana Hulme-Chambers will join the meeting (and CERSH staff will exit for this time) to facilitate a discussion about the Sexual Health Network. This is part of an independent evaluation of CERSH and the documentation of promising practice in rural sexual health promotion. John and Alana have extensive experience in research, project design, implementation and evaluation in the health promotion and community development arenas.
Afternoon session: Sexual Health Network Working Groups
As the 30 November 2011 planning meeting, three working groups were established to progress the following objectives:
- A strategic approach to a seamless integrated service system
- Increase capacity for clinical service delivery
- Increase capacity for health promotion and primary prevention
The afternoon session will provide an opportunity for each group to progress the discussions and actions generated last year. All are welcome to these groups. Regardless of your capacity - great or small - to contribute time and energy to these objectives, your contribution will be appreciated.
Sexual Health Network Meeting Minutes 28 March 2012