The Facts... without the Lecture
B4uDecide.ie is closing down at the end of May 2024.
Alternative sources of relationships and sexuality information and resources:
- For 16-25 year olds: SpunOut.ie is an information provision website, including relationships and sexuality issues.
- For 17+ year olds: Sexualwellbeing.ie is the HSE website that provides information and resources on a wide range of information such as consent, contraception, sexual transmitted infections, vaccinations and unplanned pregnancy
- For parents: The HSE’s ‘Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks’ series of booklets to help parents and children talk about relationships and sexuality is available online, and to order free of charge from healthpromotion.ie. HSE funded RSE workshops are available at npc.ie and ifpa.ie
- For teachers: Junior Cycle SPHE Resources are available to support the new 2023 SPHE specification , including the Relationship and Sexuality strand.
- For youthworkers: HSE funded training on relationship and sexuality issues is available at REAL U | Foroige and Tailored Training Courses – National Youth Council of Ireland
Counselling
Crisis Pregnancy Counselling is available in specialist agencies which give free counselling, information and support to women who are experiencing crisis pregnancy. Counselling is also available to the girl’s boyfriend or to their parents. For a list of crisis pregnancy counselling services, visit www.positiveoptions.ie or freetext list to 50444.
Confidentiality
A crisis pregnancy counselling session is confidential; however, there are limits to confidentiality if the girl is 17 or under and pregnant. Most counselling services will work with the girl or couple and support them in telling their parents about the situation, but services differ in their policies.
If a young person is uncertain what the policy is in their local service, it is advisable to call and ask. If the counsellor becomes concerned about the safety of the client (whatever her/his age) or the safety of another person, they are obliged to inform a social worker.
PositiveOptions.ie
To be sure that you will get non-judgemental advice, go to one of the services listed on www.positiveoptions.ie. Some other counselling agencies that advertise themselves in the Golden Pages provide crisis pregnancy counselling with a hidden agenda. This means that they try to influence a girl’s decision. These services do not offer non-judgemental counselling, even though they say they do. To be sure that you go to a service offering non-judgemental counselling go to one of the services listed on www.positiveoptions.ie, your GP or another trustworthy service.