VARTA and Family Planning Victoria launch new sexuality teaching module

VARTA is delighted to launch today The Fertility and Assisted Reproduction: Teaching Module, a ground-breaking new sexuality teaching resource which has been developed by VARTA and Family Planning Victoria (FPV).

The teaching module expands the remit of sexuality education in schools to information about fertility, donor conception and assisted reproductive treatment (ART), including IVF, donor conception and surrogacy. It is uniquely designed to provide teachers with a resource that they can use throughout primary and secondary school years, adding and improving on students’ understanding of the issues and tailoring information according to the capacity of students to understand.

Understanding the factors affecting fertility gives people the opportunity to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. The resource aims to raise awareness and knowledge about reproduction and factors that influence fertility and reproductive outcomes, including age, weight, alcohol, smoking, drugs and STIs. It also looks at reproductive life planning.

Inclusion of information about donor conception and ART is a response to the changing landscape of schools; in particular that many children in schools have been conceived as a result of ART. On average, there is now one child per classroom born from ART. This resource will provide teachers with information on how best to talk about ART in order to help children understand that it is normal for families to be created in different ways.

The Fertility and Assisted Reproduction: Teaching Module was funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. It forms part of the broader Comprehensive Relationship and Sexuality Education Program developed by FPV.

Fertility and Assisted Reproduction:Teaching Module

‘Media release: New teaching resource increases the scope of sexuality education’