Family Planning Nsw

Looking to update your skills and knowledge in reproductive and sexual health? Whether you're a doctor, nurse, midwife, teacher, community worker or allied health professional, we've got a course for you.
https://www.fpnsw.org.au/education-traini ng
[Image description: Three images on the left, placed vertically, of people in various training sessions. White text on orange background reads: Family Planning NSW is a leading provider of specialist training in reproductive and sexual health for doctors, nurses, teachers, community workers and other professionals. Courses for teachers, doctors, nurses, midwives may also be approved for professional development points or hours.]

Abortion is a medical service and should be regulated under health care legislation and not criminal statutes. This is great news from Queensland but means NSW may soon be the last state where it remains in the criminal code.
[Image description: Rally with people holding up pro-choice signs including 'make abortion legal' and 'it's not 1899 abortion shouldn't be a crime'.]

Have you ever used a dating app? We're looking for users of all genders and sexualities living in NSW to participate in a research project conducted by Swinburne University of Technology, 'Safety, risk and wellbeing on digital dating apps'.
See below for more details and contact pbyron@swin.edu to express your interest. We'd love hear what you have to say!
[Image description: Pale teal background with text blocks and an image on the left of two young people riding a train, lo...oking at their phones and smiling. Text reads: Have you ever used dating apps? Are you interested in sexual health and digital safety? Are you aged 15-35 years and living in NSW? A federally-funded Swinburne University of Technology research project, Safety, risk and wellbeing on digital dating apps, is seeking Reference Group members to oversee and contribute to this study. Membership is voluntary, but members will receive a $50 gift card each time they contribute (4 group consultations will be held in the next 2 years). We are specifically seeking members for three different groups: 15-17 year old app users, all genders and sexualities. heterosexual-identifying app users, aged 18-35. same-sex attracted app users, aged 18-35. Participants aged under 18 will be asked to provide contact details for parents or guardians.]
See More

Got questions? Ask us! We're here to help (and there's almost nothing we haven't heard before).
Talkline is free and confidential 9am-5pm Monday to Friday on 1300 658 886 or talkline@fpnsw.org.au.
[Image description: Hand holding a white speech bubble with teal text: Got questions? ASK US! White text below on a tangerine background reads: 1300 658 886 www.fpnsw.org.au/talkline.]

Domestic and sexual violence is a signification public health concern. There are known links between domestic violence and sexual and reproductive ill health.
In Australia, two in five people aged 18 years and over have experienced an incident of physical or sexual violence. About one in four women have experienced violence by an intimate partner.
In the Pacific, it has been estimated that between 60-70% of women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
... Governments should act now to establish and implement a comprehensive national domestic violence screening process as well as comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education that incorporates a gender equality approach and addresses violence against women.
Read our report on Australia’s progress of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: www.fpnsw.org.au/…/d…/files/assets/SD Gs_ShadowReport2018.pdf
[Image description: Group of people sitting on benches and standing outside, listening to someone speak on a back verandah. Two purple text boxes: between 60-70% of women in the Pacific experience sexual violence in their lifetime. SDG 5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.]
See More

"I think for an able-bodied person they forget about how much, particularly touch for example ... humans need touch to feel connected with others."
If you're a disability worker and want to learn how to support people with disability to access the sex industry, we've got a one-day course conducted in partnership with Touching Base Inc.
www.fpnsw.org.au/…/supporting-people-di sability-access-sex-…
... [Image description: Person in a wheelchair wearing a khaki jumper and tan chinos, photographed outside.]
See More

HIV research has made two huge leaps this week, with one groundbreaking vaccine trial and a team of researchers who have figured out how the virus hides in our bodies.
[Image description: Image on left of a blood sample being taken from a finger prick, person taking the sample is wearing blue surgical gloves. Image on right is a microscopic close up of a virus.]

Contraception is a critical element of a population’s reproductive and sexual health and individual choice with regard to fertility.
Some of the world’s poorest rates of contraceptive use and unmet need for family planning are recorded in the Pacific with correspondingly high rates of adolescent birth and maternal mortality.
Since 2010, our international program has provided reliable contraception to almost 15,000 women in Vanuatu and the Philippines. We’re proud to address t...he unmet need for contraception in these areas. Learn more: www.fpnsw.org.au/…/d…/files/assets/SD Gs_ShadowReport2018.pdf
We are committed to long-term capacity building with government and non-government organisations to address reproductive and sexual health needs of the community. You can help us continue our work by donating: www.givenow.com.au/fpnsw
[Image description: A nurse dressed in light blue in a consultation with another woman, pointing to a diagram of the female reproductive system. Two orange boxes with white text: the unmet need for contraception in the Pacific is 22.1%, more than double the rate in Australia. SDG 3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.]
See More

Painful sex is not uncommon. Dyspareunia (penetrative sex that hurts) can make women feel ashamed, as if there is something wrong with them.
"The treatment for established dyspareunia is essentially to stop having penetrative sex for a significant period of time... [with] gradual, calm, and enjoyable reintroduction of penetration by various methods.]
If you're experiencing pain during sex, things like thrush, bladder irritability, pelvic muscle spasm, chlamydia, endometriosis... should all be ruled out but know that you do not have to suffer in silence, whatever the reason.
Make an appointment even if you just want to have a chat: www.fpnsw.org.au/clinics
[Image description: Close up of a person standing in front of a greenwashed wall. Their head is facing down. They're wearing a sleeveless white blouse and grey linen skirt. A shoulder tattoo is partially visible.]
See More

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide but it is also one of the most treatable and preventable forms if detected early.
The implementation of the National Cervical Screening Project in Australia in 1991 saw deaths from cervical cancer halve in the following decade. The continuing disparity in the cervical cancer mortality rate between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous women is, however, unacceptable and remains a key barrie...r to the overall success of the cervical screening program.
Family Planning NSW has successfully implemented programs both in Australia and in the Pacific to reach groups of women who are under-screened or have never been screened and is committed to universal health coverage.
Our international program has screened over 6000 women and trained more than 120 clinicians in Fiji, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. You can help us continue our work by donating: www.givenow.com.au/fpnsw
[Image description: Group of women watching a cervical screening technique performed on a mannequin. Two lime green boxes with white text read: women in the Pacific die of cervical cancer at up to 13 times the rate of Australian women. SDG 3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.]
See More

Want to work for the state's leading provider of reproductive and sexual health care? We're on the lookout for a Senior Health Promotion Officer to join the youth team, based between Ashfield at Penrith.
Find out more and come join the team.
[Image description: Seek logo of a white dotted arrow against a dark blue circle. 'Seek' written in white underneath, against a hot pink background.]

HIV is a disease that thrives on prejudice, shame, and guilt. In three and half decades it has claimed 35 million lives.
"It would assist everyone concerned about public health if we could avoid the temptation to erect false rivalries between HIV and other STIs. The reality is it is most effective to tackle them together."
From Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) CEO Darryl O'Donnell.
... [Image description: Pile of blue pills labeled '701', commonly known as PreP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis).]
See More

This NAIDOC Week we celebrate the invaluable contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made, and continue to make, which have empowered past generations and paved the way for generations to come.
Because of her, we can.
Family Planning NSW will be attending events and activities including NAIDOC Walk (Dubbo), Mindaribba Family Fun Day (Hunter) and the Jamison Park NAIDOC event (Penrith). You can also find events near you at www.naidoc.org.au.
... [Image description: NAIDOC Week artwork feature logo in top left corner that says 'Celebrating NAIDOC Week'. Patterned blue dots along the top with text below that says, Because of her, we can. 8-15 July 2018]
See More

Australian governments need to support national consistency in relation to abortion law, access to services, and timely, mandatory, national data collection. This will bring Australia in line with the international goal of integrating reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
Access to abortions should be based on health care need and not be limited by age, socioeconomic disadvantage or geography.
Read our report on Australia’s progress of the UnitedNations S...ustainable Development Goals: www.fpnsw.org.au/…/d…/files/assets/SD Gs_ShadowReport2018.pdf
[Image description: Group of women, their backs to camera, with arms around each other's backs. Two orange text boxes read: "The burden of unintended pregnancy falls hardest on the most vulnerable women. 3.7 By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.]
See More

While Australia’s maternal mortality sits among the lowest in the world, the risk of death is almost three times greater for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
The maternal mortality rate for our Pacific neighbours is at least 10 times greater than Australia's and highlights a significant gap in maternal health and welfare.
Australia should increase meaningful funding commitments and partnership programs focusing on increasing access to family planning and maternal ...health services in remote Australian communities and the Pacific.
Read our report on Australia’s progress of the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals: www.fpnsw.org.au/…/d…/files/assets/SD Gs_ShadowReport2018.pdf
[Image description: Image of a woman, seated on an outdoor balcony, smiling. Text in two teal boxes read: maternal mortality rates in the Pacific are at least 10 times greater than in Australia. SDG 3.1 By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.]
See More

Got questions? Ask us! We're here to help.
Talkline is free and confidential 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
[Image description: Hand holding white speech bubble cut out against an orange background. Text reads: Got questions? Ask us. 1300 658 886 talkline@fpnsw.org.au]

Reproductive coercion is a form of violence whereby the perpetrator uses manipulation, sabotage or coercion to deny women reproductive autonomy and to limit women's ability to leave a violent relationship.
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger call 000 or contact the NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 656 463. NSW Rape Crisis is available on 1800 424 017.
[Image description: Close up of a person holding a yellow contraceptive pill packet.]

No body is exactly the same and that is perfectly normal.
It's not just pornography that distorts our view of what is 'normal' for the vulva, but also medical diagrams and in particular line drawings of genitals that can all appear stylised and airbrushed.
[Image description: Left image of legs hanging off the edge of a doctor's examination table. Right image is a peeled grapefruit cut in half.]

For parents and carers of young people with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder who want to learn to support their sexuality and development positively.
We'll also be in Ballina 24 July and Coffs Harbour 25 July.
To register, contact erind@fpnsw.org.au
... [Image description: Person standing holding a small resource, speaking to two smiling people seated in from of them.]
See More