www.brook.org.uk

Brook – putting young people first

Brook is the UK’s leading provider of sexual health services and advice for young people under 25. We have more than 40 years’ experience of working with young people.

Brook services provide free and confidential sexual health information, contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and outreach and education work, reaching more than 200,000 young people every year. Through direct contact and those we reach through our Ask Brook information service Brook has contact with 1,500 young people every day.

We have more experience than any other organisation at delivering sexual health services and education to young people through our own centres, PCT clinics and schools as well as in the community through outreach work. We are experienced, trusted and well placed to know what works and to lead the way in innovative delivery – taking our lead from young people.

Brook has a unique model providing clinical and support services alongside education. Our clinic-based services respond flexibly to young people’s needs, making the connections between sexual and emotional health and the impact of alcohol, drugs and peer pressure on behaviour.

Our national information service, Ask Brook, offers a service to inform over 17,000 young people a year about sexual health services in their area and provides information and support on sexual health. Young people can ring the freephone Helpline or send a question through Ask Brook, a confidential on-line enquiry service via the Brook website. They can also get details of local services texted direct to their mobile phone.

Outreach is an integral and growing part of Brook’s work. Meeting and working with young people in spaces where they feel comfortable and safe is vital to accessing the most vulnerable, who are often unwilling or unable to come into clinic-based services.

Our outreach workers are flexible and respond to local need. They support young people’s personal development, building their self-esteem, their sense of identity and so their ability to have good personal relationships and to take responsibility for their sexual and emotional well-being.

Brook has developed a mix-and-match approach for commissioning services. We will tailor service provision to your needs, whether it is a full service, or add-ons to existing services, we will work with you to identify exactly what you need and how best to provide it. Most importantly, we will ensure that young people get the best services possible. We can provide:

• Contraception
• STI screening
• Education and outreach in schools, PRUs (Pupil Referral Units), care homes, special schools and other settings
• Counselling
• Clinical outreach
• Targeted publicity
• Specialist outreach workers, for example working with young men, young people who are sexually exploited or those from minority communities.

Our training programmes are tailored to professionals’ needs and we organise regular conferences on topical sexual health issues. These events equip professionals with the knowledge and confidence they need to deliver the sexual health and teenage pregnancy agendas in their settings.

We produce a range of widely used and respected publications for use by nurses, GPs, teachers, parents, youth workers and young people themselves on a broad range of sexual health issues.

Through our membership network, Brook Exchange, we help professionals in the field to deliver better sexual health services. Members of Brook Exchange receive discounts on all Brook products and services.

Brook’s website www.brook.org.uk provides information on policy, facts and figures, research and position statements. Further information can be found about ordering publications and research papers, booking a place on training courses and events, as well as joining Brook Exchange.

 

Click here to obtain a copy of THE NAPC REVIEW