Learning Centre - Disability Educators

Disability Educators

FPV is a leader in Human Relations and Sexuality Health Education and Professional Development for disability workers

Family Planning Victoria is committed to the rights of people with a disability to gain access to sexual and reproductive health education. Our education and professional training programs promote ways people with disabilities can access the skills and knowledge needed to make informed sexual health choices. We aim to provide appropriate high quality skills training for professionals.

This coupled with effective education provided to people with a disability can make a significant impact on the well being of individuals and their families, carers and the wider community.

Experienced educators conduct flexible, high quality Human Relations and Sexuality education programs for people with disabilities. Professional development, education and information sessions are conducted for service providers, staff, caregivers, parents and families. All our education sessions are presented in an interactive way to maximize learning outcomes.

These are offered on a fee for service basis.

Group and Individual Education Programs for People with Disabilities

These programs are tailored to meet the needs of participants. Support staff attend sessions so that information and skills development can be reinforced in a variety of settings.

Some of the education topics that may be included are:

Self esteem - feeling good about myself, being assertive with others
Awareness of others - myself and other people
Feelings - understanding and expressing my feelings
Body awareness - differences and similarities: male /female, adult /child
Puberty - changes in my body and mind, becoming an adult
Relationships - different types of relationships, appropriate behaviour
Sexuality and sexual health - choices and decision-making in relationships
Personal safety — protective behaviours
Women’s and men’s health issues

Examples of programs:

Social skills and relationships education
Independent living skills and human relations program
Workplace relationships program
Sexuality after stroke
Menstrual management and hygiene education
Bullying/ teasing program
Friendship group program
Introduction to Sexuality and Disability issues
Sexual decision making
Puberty- looking after me and my body as I grow up
Group program for same sex attracted people who have intellectual disability

Programs for Families and Carers

These activities address issues such as:

How to talk about puberty and sexuality issues with young people with disabilities
Specific strategies and resources on common areas of concern; for instance, body changes, public and private issues, menstruation and masturbation.
The role of parents as sexuality educators
Provide a supportive environment where issues and concerns can be discussed with an educator and other parents and carers

Examples of programs for parents:registrar@fpv.org.au

Parent/Child puberty course providing the opportunity to discuss and learn about puberty together
2 hour parent information workshops
Teaching your child personal safety techniques

Consultancy Services

FPV community educators also provide consultancy services to organisations on human relations and sexuality issues. For example, an educator may meet with staff from a residential service to discuss relationship/sexuality issues within the service and to facilitate the development of appropriate strategies to manage these issues effectively.

For further information:
Telephone: (03) 9257 0133
E-mail: registrar@fpv.org.au

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & EDUCATION PROGRAMS

We provide:

Professional Development for disability workers

Programs are designed to meet the needs of workers in residential services, program services, case management and other areas of the disability sector.

Programs may include the following topics, according to the needs of the group:

The developmental consequences, on social and sexual development, of having an intellectual disability,
The impact of societal attitudes and government policies
Examining values regarding sexuality and disability
Staff roles and responsibilities regarding human relations issues
Human Services policy and processes
Assessments and intervention
Information about human relations issues such as; self esteem, awareness of others, feelings, body awareness, menstrual management, public and private issues, puberty, relationships, appropriate behaviour, sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, personal safety
Practical strategies and resources for use when working with clients regarding human relations and sexuality issues.

Learning Outcomes for professional development participants include:

Increased understanding of service users’ rights in the area of human relations and sexuality
Ability to develop agency guidelines on human relations and sexuality issues
Clear understanding of staff roles and responsibilities
Increased ability to support and advocate for service users in their relationships with others
Increased knowledge and skills in the provision of accurate, value-fair information to services users about sexuality and sexual health issues

Increased ability to assist service users to maintain personal safety

Examples of Professional Development activities:

Sexuality issues and psychiatric disabilities (Staff development for psychiatric disability workers)
Introduction to Human relations, sexuality and disability
(2-day professional development for disability workers)
Sexual health issues for women with disabilities (professional development for disability workers)
Blood borne viruses workshop (2 day professional development for disability workers
Counselling techniques for working with people with intellectual disability
Sexuality and ageing (professional development for aged care workers/students)
Human Relations and Sexuality for people with an intellectual disability (half and full day workshops for ATSS and CRU workers)
Implementing a Human Relations Program — 1 day staff training workshop
Writing and implementing a human relations policy
Sexual assault workshop
Personal Safety — Protective Behaviours