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The average age for puberty to start is 11 for girls and 12 for boys, and it marks another area of great change for young people and their families. As with everything else, preparation is key, so you may want to consider talking to your young person about the changes they can expect and do some research about the sort of resources available to help you explain.

Puberty, self-care and sexual health, are all related subjects and the internet is a useful source of information and resources. You may find talking to your GP, someone at your young person’s school, or your child’s paediatrician about the subjects can help, and you can ask them for advice on the best way to approach the topics and if they can recommend any resources. The school will be planning lessons around the subject, so it’s worth finding out when this is likely to happen and ask if there is any supporting materials you can use at home.

As we have said, the internet is a rich source of information and there are websites with useful articles, information, and advice for parents, along with resources you can download to help. It might also be worth looking at some of the online communities/chat forums on SEND charities websites, as someone else may have posed similar questions to those you have. Have a chat to friends with older children and ask them how they broached the subject and what, if anything, they found that helped.

Your young person may also want to engage with someone outside of the family, so perhaps talk to their class teacher about who would be the best person to direct them to. Every school has a nominated school nurse, and they are trained to talk about these topics, so you could suggest they make arrangements to see them.

In Worcestershire, sexual health services are provided by the WiSH service (.) WiSH has a team of sexual health outreach nurses, who work with young people who cannot or aren’t able to access mainstream sexual health services. They offer one-to-one support, information and guidance regarding contraception, sexually transmitted infections and safer sex. They currently only accept professional referrals.