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Enhancing Sexual Wellbeing in Scotland: A Sexual Health and Relationships Strategy: Proposal to the Scottish Executive
GLOSSARY
Abstinence Programmes
The Health Development Agency's Teenage Pregnancy Evidence briefing described these as programmes that are either wholly or partly promote an abstinence message. They may be
abstinence-only, promoting the message that no sex is the only appropriate behaviour for the participants. Alternatively, they may be
abstinence-plus programmes (often called comprehensive programmes) which promote the message that abstinence is the safest form of contraception against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and therefore highly encouraged, but they also provide information and advice on access to and use of contraception and sexual health services.
Anonymity of testing
No name or other personal details recorded during testing for STIs, including HIV.
(Biological) sex
This refers to the sum of the biological characteristics that define the spectrum of humans as females and males.
Black
The term black refers to those members of the ethnic minority communities who are differentiated by their skin colour or physical appearance, and may therefore feel some solidarity with one another by reason of past or current experience, but who may have many different cultural traditions and values.
Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities
Refers to those communities that are visibly different from the majority population in Great Britain. However, these communities are very heterogeneous.
Community Health Partnerships (CHPs)
The establishment of CHPs was proposed in the recent White Paper,
Partnership for Care. They are intended to evolve from Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCCs) which were established following the 1997 White Paper
Designed to Care and are not statutory bodies. They are voluntary associations of primary health care professionals who come together, along with other partner agencies such as Local Authorities, to consider the planning and delivery of NHS services to meet the assessed needs of patients and local communities. LHCCs were supported through the operational management arrangement or Primary Care Trusts of NHS Boards.
Cultural competencecc
Cultural competence is defined as a set of values, behaviours, attitudes, and practices within a system, organisation, programme or among individuals and which enables them to work effectively cross culturally. Further, it refers to the ability to honour and respect the beliefs, language, interpersonal styles and behaviours of individual and families receiving services, as well as staff who are providing such services. Striving to achieve cultural competence is a dynamic, ongoing, developmental process that requires a long-term time commitment of time.
Domestic Abusedd
Domestic abuse (as gender-based abuse) can be perpetrated by partners or ex-partners and can include physical abuse (assault and physical attack involving a range of behaviour), sexual abuse (acts which degrade and humiliate women and are perpetrated against their will, including rape) and mental and emotional abuse (such as threats, verbal abuse, racial abuse, withholding money and other types of controlling behaviour such as isolation from family and friends).
Ethnicity
Refers to self identification with a group of people who share characteristics such as skin colour, language, religion, place of birth, food and behaviour. However, it is fluid and individuals many perceive their ethnicity differently over time.
Ethnic minority
All subgroups of the population not indigenous to the UK who hold cultural traditions and value derived, at least in part, from their countries of origin.
National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health
The National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health has been funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department and set up within PHIS to support NHS Boards in meeting the expectations laid down in the recent Health Department Letter from the Scottish Executive. This letter defines the responsibilities placed on NHS Boards by legislation as a result of new statutory duties to promote race equality. It also outlines the specific deliverables NHS Boards will be expected to achieve in order to ensure that NHS Boards and staff deliver services that meet the needs of individuals and family groups from ethnic minority communities. It is informed both by the
Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the
Fair for All (2001) report.
Ethos
The distinctive character, spirit and attitudes of, for example, a community, an organisation, staff or culture.
Female Genital Mutilation
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines FGM as: 'all procedures involving total or partial removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons'.
ee The procedure is irreversible and the effects last a lifetime.
Gender
Gender is a societal construct. The roles that are expected of women and men result from the way that society is organised. Gender is expressed in the nature of the relationships between the sexes, which result from these roles and assumptions about acceptable behaviours. Gender assumptions are learnt and as such are amenable to change as they have been seen to do between generations, cultures and ethnic and racial groups.
Gender equality
Gender equality means the absence of discrimination on the basis of a person's sex in opportunities, allocation of resources or benefits, and access to services.
Gender equity
Gender equity means fairness and justice in the distribution of benefits, power, resources and responsibilities between women and men. The concept recognizes that women and men have different needs, power and access to resources, and that these differences should be identified and addressed in a manner that rectifies the imbalance between the sexes.
Healthy Respect
The national demonstration project,
Healthy Respect, was established as part of the
Towards a Healthier Scotland White Paper
18 implementation. Hosted by Lothian NHS Board, the project is a partnership initiative involving 13 partners bringing together a wide expertise and knowledge of key organisations involved in the provision of sexual health services in Lothian. There are 19 projects working across a range of locations including schools, further education colleges, voluntary organisations and in hospital, primary care and informal youth settings. The three main issues of focus are: teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and self esteem and confidence. Further information is available from the website:
www.healthy-respect.com.
Heterosexism
This terms refers to the assumption of heterosexuality as the norm in sexual relationships.
HIV Health Promotion Review Group
A group set up by Scottish Office Ministers in 1999 to review HIV health promotion strategy in the conviction that effective prevention is achievable. The remit was "to review the effectiveness of current HIV/AIDS heath promotion activities by statutory and voluntary bodies in terms of preventing further spread of the virus; and to consider whether there should be any change in the emphasis and future direction of such activities, or how they are funded.
Holistic
All encompassing. Consideration of the complete person or system and not just some aspects or parts.
Homophobia
The term refers to fear or dislike of lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) people or of LGB feelings within oneself
National Sexual Health and Wellbeing Network
The Sexual Health & Wellbeing Learning Network, based within NHS Health Scotland, has been set up to disseminate lessons from the national demonstration project, Healthy Respect and wider evidence-based practice and facilitate learning among policymakers, practitioners and academics working in the field of sexual health and wellbeing.
Mass communications
This term means interacting with the general public via a variety of media
McCabe Report
The formal title to this report is the
Report of the working group on sex education in Scottish schools and it was published on 16
th June 2000. The working group was established in February 2000 to review the range of curricular advice and support available to teachers on sex education specifically in the light of the repeal of section 2A of the
Local Government Act 1986. It was agreed that the repeal would not be enacted until the work of the Group had been concluded.
Media
The media refers to the range of magazines, newspapers, advertising, radio and television productions and the internet.
Needs assessment
A systematic process by which information is used to judge the health of a population and decided what services should be provided to meet local needs. The aim is to identify unmet needs that can affect health (e.g. access to services, inadequate housing, untreated disease,etc.) and make recommendations about ways to address these needs.
New Community School/Integrated Community School
New Community Schools embody a new approach to identifying and meeting the needs of every child by organising and focusing the services which support children and their families from their earliest years through their development and education. New Community Schools are central to the Government's twin strategies to raise educational attainment and promote social inclusion.
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NHS 24
NHS 24 is a telephone health advice and information service that is being introduced across Scotland. It will be available to the whole of Scotland by the end of 2004. It aims to provide access for the public to health information and advice 24 hours per day, every day of the year.
NHS Health Scotland
On 1 April the Public Health Institute of Scotland (PHIS) and the
Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) merged to become NHS Health Scotland.
Patient group directions
A protocol through which practitioners who otherwise would not be able to prescribe prescription medicine can prescribe from an agreed formulary list. This normally happens under the guidance of medical practitioners and is agreed by the local Drugs and Therapeutics Committee within NHS Boards.
Prevalence
The prevalence of a disease is the proportion of a population that are cases at a point in time. Period prevalence is the proportion of a population that are cases at any time within a stated period.
Public Health Nurses
The public health nurse role, established as a result of
Nursing for Health, brings together health visiting and school nursing into a single discipline in order to more effectively work to improve the health of their local communities.
Safer sex
This term is used to specify sexual practices and sexual behaviours that reduce the risk of contracting and transmitting sexually transmitted infections, especially HIV.
Sexually competent/ sexual competence
Comparisons of the attitudes and behaviours of young people have been summarised in terms of 'sexual competence'. Sexual competence is associated with openness about sex within the home and family and early and consistent provision of sex education in schools. It is characterised by being able to: maintain friendships with both sexes; discuss problems with friends of both sexes; communicate effectively with a sexual partner/potential partner; think about, plan and implement safer sex strategies; negotiate use of contraception; agree the status of a relationship; discuss the meaning and importance of sex within the relationship. The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) defines sexual competence by assessing variables relating to first intercourse: regret, willingness, autonomy of decision and contraception use. If someone is sexually competent this implies they are able to make informed and responsible decisions about their own sexual health and behaviour.
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Sexual health
Defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2001 as "A state of physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing related to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled."
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Sexual Health Advisers
Sexual health advisers play a pivotal role in partner management, information provision and liaison between community based sexual health services and more specialist services. In particular they help individuals to change risk taking behaviour and to adhere to their treatment.
Sexual Health and Wellbeing National Learning Network
Based in NHS Health Scotland, the Network has been established to distil and disseminate the lessons from the national demonstration project, Healthy Respect and to support evidence based practice on sexual health and wellbeing through links with policymakers, researchers and practitioners (see website on
www.phis.org.uk).
Sexuality
Sexuality is defined as "the sexual dimension of an individual's personality". Sexuality is key not only to sexual health and sexual expression, but also to the individual's overall health and wellbeing. This in turn interrelates with issues relating to gender, sexual orientation, culture, age and given roles within society.
SHARE
An abstinence-plus (or comprehensive) programme of school based sex and relationships education that was developed in Scotland. SHARE is an acronym for Sexual Health and Relationships: Safe, Happy and Responsible.
Socioeconomic status
Description of a person's position in society which uses criteria such as income, level of education achieved, occupation, value of property owned, etc.
Stakeholders
People who have an interest in an organisation, its activities and achievements, or organisations which have an interest in a wider partnership of issues. Examples of stakeholders include the voluntary sector, employees, NHS services, local government and schools.
Wellbeingii
Wellbeing has been described as being about thriving, not just surviving, and being hopeful and healthy. Key aspects of this include safety, security and feeling valued by others and enjoying positive, participative relationships in which your views and values are listened to and respected.
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