Sexuality Education

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Professional Learning

This section provides resources and information about professional learning opportunities in the areas of sexuality education and sexual diversity.

The programs aim to assist teachers and school leaders in the development and delivery of comprehensive sexuality education. These programs can also include a program-development focus to assist in the delivery of a whole-school learning approach.

Various external providers also offer professional learning with a focus on prevention or student wellbeing. For example, focussing on unwanted pregnancies, sexual assault and homophobic bullying. 

For more information, see: Prevention and Support

Sexuality education

Catching On sexual health (and diversity) training
The Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society, La Trobe University, provides primary and secondary school training.

The training supports the Department’s sexuality education resource Catching On for Years 9 and 10: STI/HIV Prevention Education Resource Kit (2005) and the Australian Government’s Talking Sexual Health: National Framework for Education about STIs, HIV/AIDS and Blood-borne Viruses in Secondary Schools (1999). For these resources, see: Learning and Teaching

For more information, see: ARCSHS – La Trobe University (http://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/)

Family Life Victoria – Professional development for teachers
Family Life offers professional development and training for teachers. This training is designed to enhance the expertise of teachers to provide an ongoing program of comprehensive sexuality education in their schools. The training is in line with Victorian Government policy and recommendations.

Family Planning Victoria training courses
Family Planning Victoria offers primary and secondary school teachers a range of statewide education and training programs on all aspects of sexual and reproductive health education. The training is in line with Victorian Government policy and recommendations. For more information, see: Family Planning Victoria – Teachers (http://www.fpv.org.au/3_6_3.html)

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Sexual diversity

All of the above professional learning opportunities include a focus on sexual diversity. The professional learning resources listed below exclusively focus on this area to assist teachers in ensuring their school’s sexuality education program includes sexual diversity. ‘SSAFE – Learning and teaching resources’, available on the Learning & Teaching page, provides further professional learning opportunities.

For curriculum policy guidelines, learning and teaching tools with a sexual diversity focus, and ‘SSAFE – Learning and teaching resources’ see: Learning and Teaching

Celebrating Diversity in Schools
The Celebrating Diversity website provides a range of resources to help make schools more supportive and inclusive for same-sex attracted and transgender young people. 

The website was developed by the Same Sex Attracted Eastern Action Group, which included support from this Department. 

The website is available at Celebrating Diversity in Schools (http://www.celebratingdiversity.org.au/)

For information about Celebrating Diversity training, delivered by Women’s Health East, see: Women’s Health East (http://whe.org.au)

Sexual diversity training
The following websites provide up-to-date information on the latest programs in sexual diversity training.

  • Pride & Prejudice (http://prideandprejudice.com.au) - Pride & Prejudice offers six-week programs and workshops for teachers working with young people around sexual diversity and homophobia.
  • Rainbow Network (http://rainbownetwork.net.au) - The Rainbow Network provides workshops, information and support to schools in order to ensure their learning environments are safe and inclusive. Their website includes the network contact list and information on their latest workshops.
  • The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (http://humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au) - The Commission offers professional development programs that assist school communities to create safer learning environments and meeting their obligations under the law.
  • WayOut Rural Victorian Youth & Sexual Diversity Project (http://wayout.org.au) - WayOut provides training, research updates and consultation for school staff.

For further information about some of these programs, including cost, see: External Providers

Kaleidoscope Manual – Professional development module

This teacher professional development module (content revised 2007) was originally included in the Kaleidoscope Manual (2004). The author Vivien Ray has provided the module with permission from the Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service. Funding for the development of this resource was made available through the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Kaleidoscope support materials that can be utilised in this module are available on the following pages of this website:

  • For parents - ‘Drug prevention and family support for same-sex attracted young people’ and ‘Fostering resilience in children of lesbian and gay families’.
  • Prevention & support - Referral and support resource list.

Also see:

  • Australian Institute of Family Studies (http://aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm2001/fm59.html) - ‘School experiences of the children of lesbian and gay parents’ by Vivien Ray and Robin Gregory. 
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