Great news

If you are under 16 you can still get access to free and confidential sexual health services including chlamydia screening and condoms.

Are you ready?

Having a sexual relationship with the right person can be enjoyable but there is no need to rush. Not everyone is ready.
Everyone has the right to say No.

Even once you are ready it still doesn't mean you have to!
Just because you've already had sex - doesn't mean that you have to again.

You can take some time out.

You probably won't be ready for sex until you can tick all of these boxes:

• You feel you could say no if you wanted to
• You can have fun together without anything sexual involved
• You each want to have sex for yourself, not for the other person or to fit in with friends
• You have considered talking to your parents about having sex
• You have discussed using condoms and contraception and agreed what happens next and whether to tell your freinds afterwards
•  

• You have talked about what would happen if you become pregnant or get a sexually transmitted infection (STI)

(With thanks to Jo Adams and the young people of Calderdale for developing the checklist)

Confidentiality, what it means for you

Everyone has the right to confidentiality even if you're under 16

All professionals who you have contact with and/or share information with will try as hard as they can to maintain your confidentiality. 
That means they will not share the information with anyone else without your permission. 

However, there will be some situations where the professional is worried that you or someone else has been harmed or is at risk of harm. 

In these circumstances they may take advice from someone who specialises in this type of work and they may have to share the information to be able to make a decision as to whether any action needs to be taken to keep you or another person safe.  

The professional will do all that they can to ensure you know who the information is being shared with or who they are going to have to talk to’.