First ever Healthy Relationship Forum for secondary students

A unique collaboration between a number of agencies has resulted in the first ever Health Relationship Forum for secondary school students taking place in Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore today (Wednesday, October 11).

In a first of its kind initiative, the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) based in the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar, brought together all the relevant stakeholders to discuss consent and what healthy relationships look like for young adults.

The Forum is also designed to inform upcoming workshops which will take place across secondary schools in the Midlands over the coming months.

Presentations to SATU of adolescents have risen by 37% between the years 2017 – 2022, including in the Midlands. The newly designed series of five workshops for senior cycle students within secondary schools has been welcomed by many local groups involved in the care of teenagers and young adults.

Nessa Gill, SATU Mullingar, told today’s event in Tullamore that the Health Relationships Forum is “an opportunity to help start ending the stigma of sexual assault and rape among young adults” and revelaed that one in five people assisted by SATU are between the ages of 14 and 18. She added that the workshops planned for local schools “will empower and support young people to engage in healthy safe relationships.”

Today’s Forum brought together Gardai, teachers, social workers, youth and community workers and other State agencies who have an interest in the area of safeguarding young adults.

Explaining the reasons behind the organisation of the Health Relationships Forum, Niamh Dowler, Children and Young People’s Services Committee Co-Ordinator for Laois/Offaly said the various stakeholders wanted to bring the conversation about consent to “an open forum” and empower all who attend about healthy relationships and the wraparound supports for sexual assaults.

“We discussed what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like, negotiating consent, signposting to SATU services and Sexual health services in an open forum. The goal of this is to help protect our younger generations but also start reassuring them that, the data shows, if something does happen to them, they can recover and live full lives.”

While she stressed the importance of the Forcum, Niamh Gill said it is “a tentative first step.” The initiative is a collaboration of Gardai DPSU, Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service, Tullamore Rape Crisis Centre , Laois Domestic Abuse Service, Tusla and HSE Sexual Health Service Portlaoise along with the Laois Offaly CYPSC,.

“We are aiming to secure funding for a healthy relationship worker who would liaise with all our schools in the Midlands and act as a middle person between our young people, relationships, sexual education and services” said Ms Gill.