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Teaching your child to clean their private body parts is an excellent way to build independence in their personal care.

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The Chat - the one-stop shop for information in Scotland on relationships, growing up and puberty, and being safe.

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The Chat - the one-stop shop for information in Scotland on relationships, growing up and puberty, and being safe.

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The Chat is here to help you to support your child as they learn about friendships, relationships and growing up. You can look for what you need depending on the age of your child, the topic they are interested in, or the questions they ask.

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the Chat is a conversation with parents and carers about where, what, when, why and how children and young people learn about relationships, sexual health and parenthood.

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The SAMH Information Service provides information and support on mental health.

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Got a question about mental health? We can help.

The SAMH Information Service provides information and support on mental health.

Whether you're seeking support, looking for more information for you or someone you love, or just want to have chat about mental health, we're here.

Talk to the SAMH Information Team

Open 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).
Calls charged at local rates, charges from mobile telephones vary considerably. If you need to speak to someone urgently, or require a listening or crisis service, please seek support here.

Qwell - Online Support

We now offer access to online emotional wellbeing and mental health support through Qwell.

The online service provides a safe and confidential space to access support from qualified mental health professionals, as well as peer support from the Qwell community.

The service is free, anonymous and is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Find out more and sign up at Qwell.io/SAMH.

SAMH Information Library

From information about depression and anxiety, to tips on helping someone else and looking after your own wellbeing - our online written resources provide you with everything you need to know about mental health and wellbeing.

Coronavirus and your mental wellbeing

Many of us are feeling worried or stressed about how coronavirus could affect our lives, as well as our loved ones.

There are things we can do to look after our mental wellbeing during this time. Visit our web hub to find information, links and resources that we can, to help keep you informed and protect your mental health.
Find out more

You're not alone. We're here to help. Find Help

SAMH is the Scottish Association for Mental Health
Scottish Charity: No. SC-008897
Registered Office: Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow, G1 1UZ

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The SAMH Information Service provides information and support on mental health. Whether you're seeking support, looking for more information for you or someone you love, or just want to have chat about mental health, we're here. Open 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays). Calls charged at local rates, charges from mobile telephones vary considerably.

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Help and Advice for children and young people's mental health

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Help and Advice for children and young people's mental health

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Whether you want to understand how you’re feeling, find ways to feel better, or support someone who's struggling, we’re here to help.

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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A one-stop shop for key support services, call lines and mental health support in A and B and Highland

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A one-stop shop for key support services, call lines and mental health support in A and B and Highland

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Mental Health Support for Children & Young People | Argyll and Bute — Living Well

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Looking for mental health support for young people in Argyll and Bute? Visit the Support for Young People page on Living Well in Argyll and Bute. Access free resources, helplines, and services for children and teens. Find advice, crisis support, guidance, self-help tools, and services for children a

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Scotland’s national charity for LGBTQ+ young people, aged 13-25

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Scotland’s national charity for LGBTQ+ young people, aged 13-25

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We support young people in all aspects of their lives through the provision of amazing youth work, and we support them to use their voice to create change in equality and human rights.

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Eden Court's Queer Youth Arts Collective is an online creative space for Highland-based LGBTI+ young people aged 13 to 18. We meet once a week on Zoom to come together as community, create, and connect. We aim to build a welcoming and inclusive space that queer and questioning young people and allies can make their own.

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Digital Booklet for Parents and Carers to support their child's health and Well-being 

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Digital Booklet for Parents and Carers to support their child's health and Well-being 

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Developed by the Planet Youth Argyll and Bute Team

May 2025

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Free and confidential support to women and children who have been affected by domestic abuse.

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We provide free and confidential support to women and children who have been affected by domestic abuse.

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Contacting Childline

You can talk to us about anything, call us on 0800 1111 or chat to us online.

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On Thursday 30 November from 2:30am - 7:30am, you won't be able to contact Childline whilst we do some important maintenance to our systems. This means that 1-2-1 chats, calling and messages to Childline will be unavailable. You'll still be able to use the Childline website for advice and information.

If you're in danger or it's an emergency, you should always call 999

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Get help and advice about a wide range of issues, call us on 0800 1111, talk to a counsellor online, send Childline an email or post on the message boards.

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CEOP Safety Centre - help if you have concerns about online sexual abuse in Scotland

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CEOP Safety Centre - help if you have concerns about online sexual abuse in Scotland

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Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?

Make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors

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Are you being bullied?

If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small.

Visit Childline

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Are you being bullied? If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small. Visit Childline

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Argyll and Bute Child Protection Information. 

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Argyll and Bute Child Protection Information. 

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If you’re concerned that a child is being neglected, abused or harmed, follow the page guidance for help on how to report it.

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Child Protection | Argyll and Bute Council

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If you’re concerned that a child is being neglected, abused or harmed you need to report it.

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Keeping children safe online: changes to the Online Safety Act explained

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Keeping children safe online: changes to the Online Safety Act explained

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How new laws that keep children safe on the internet work- August 2025

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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

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Keeping children safe online: changes to the Online Safety Act explained

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How new laws that keep children safe on the internet work.

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Speakeasy Training- free online sessions available to book in Argyll and Bute Jan-Feb 2026

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Speakeasy Training- free online sessions available to book in Argyll and Bute Jan-Feb 2026

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Click the links to book onto the individual sessions - free, online, informal, confidential and fun!

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NHS Highland Sexual Health Information and services

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NHS Highland Sexual Health Information and services

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In the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership area, there are several GP practices that provide more specialised sexual health services and are available to anyone: You don't have to be registered with these practices to access their sexual health support. Just call ahead to make an appointment.

Campbeltown Medical Practice - sexual health clinic

Lochgilphead Medical Centre - sexual health clinic

Lorn Medical Centre (Oban) - sexual health clinic

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Sexual health clinics at hospitals and GP practices, STI testing, PrEP for HIV, education, contraception and external resources.

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Live Argyll Community Learning and Youth support 

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Live Argyll Community Learning and Youth support 

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The Community Learning Service works alongside communities and partners to ensure individuals, groups and families reach their potential through lifelong learning, mutual self-help and strong community organisation

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We consult with and support young people in expressing their views through regular consultation (Article 12 UNCRC).

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Click down onto these links to find health and social support services that operate in Argyll and Bute

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Mid Argyll Youth Development Services (MAYDS) is an award winning charity organisation with a focus on providing a wide range of recreational, educational, social and learning opportunities to young people between the ages of 0 and 25 years old.

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Mid Argyll Youth Development Services (MAYDS) is an award winning charity organisation with a focus on providing a wide range of recreational, educational, social and learning opportunities to young people between the ages of 0 and 25 years old.

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A national voluntary organisation and charity dedicated to supporting parents and their lesbian, gay, bisexual and Trans sons and daughters

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For the latest news on how the new Hubs, replacing GIDS, will deliver children and young people’s gender related healthcare, visit our blog and Arden & GEM’s FAQ. Are you concerned about a decision that your child’s school is making regarding their gender identity? We have worked with solicitors to create a template letter that you can use to set out your concerns and obtain a full response from the school. Visit our glossary for a helpful guide to words and phrases relevant to trans young people, that may be new to you. My child is transgender. How do I…

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A Scottish community for parents and family members of transgender young people

About TransparenTsees

The Transparentsees community was started by one family in Glasgow in 2013, and initially used a small meeting room in the Sandyford Gender Clinic. The aim was to build a network of parents and carers who were supporting their young transgender and non binary family members. Since then that network has spread across all areas of Scotland, and our members are supporting their loved ones ranging in age from 3 to 33.

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Initially the focus was on face to face groups for adults only, aided by local volunteers in different parts of Scotland. Due to Covid the community shifted to monthly online meet ups, and these have proved very helpful for new families in particular. We are now starting to organise occasional face to face meet up at different venues so we get a chance to meet each other (and our kids and dogs!)

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The format of our meetings is simple, welcoming and non judgemental. We give parents, family members and carers a safe space to discuss how they are doing, away from their offspring. This leads to questions that other group members can often answer from their own experience. Topics can range from how to navigate the NHS Gender Clinic to how to obtain supportive education in their local school. There isn't much we haven't talked about, laughed about and cried about. There is absolutely no pressure to talk unless you feel you want to.

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We are not counsellors, or experts, but we can offer our own lived experience. We are not on this path alone. There are others who have walked this way before us. We support each other so we can better support our incredibly special children and young people.

Helpful Resources

It can be overwhelming when your child, regardless of their age, starts their own journey.
We have compiled some resources and websites that may be of help.

They also offer a 'livechat' service from their website during the same hours.

A few books that been recommended for parents by parents -

Love Lives Here - Amanda Jette Knox

I Promised Not to Tell - Cheryl Evans

Helping Your Transgender Teen, 2nd Edition: A Guide for Parents - Irwin Krieger

What's the T?: The no-nonsense guide to all things trans and/or non-binary for teens - Juno Dawson

Raising the Transgender Child: A Complete Guide for Parents, Families, and Caregivers - Michele Angello

Some Other Helpful Websites

Documents - click link

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GALLERY

Some of our members photos along with some inspiring images from inspiring artists.

Contact Us

If you are a parent or family member of a trans kid, and would like to join us please send us your details. We will be in touch with you as soon as we can.

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A Scottish community for parents and family members of transgender young people About TransparenTsees The Transparentsees community was started by one family in Glasgow in 2013, and initially used a small meeting room in the Sandyford Gender Clinic. The aim was to build a network of parents and carers who were supporting their young transgender and non binary family members.

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Parenting and family support from Family Lives (formerly Parentline Plus) through our website, helpline 0808 800 2222, email service at askus@familylives.org.uk, live chat and local services.

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Like every other part of your body, each vagina and vulva is different. Here, we run through some of the basics of how the vagina and vulva actually work.

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What to do about sexually active 13, 14, and 15 year-olds Sexual activity during the teenage years is part of the normal spectrum of adolescent development. Young people in the early teenage years who are sexually active will usually be so by choice. However, a significant minority may be sexually abused.

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Brook - Big Period lesson video

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Guide for over 14+

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― A Project Co-Ordinator

If you need help in person click here to find out about sexual health services. You are welcome to ask me questions but please do have a look at questions I've already answered and the rest of the site. There's a search bar and a menu of different categories up at the top ☝️.
I've also written a book about consent, called Can We Talk About Consent? It's great and it's available worldwide and in several translations. Find out more about it here.
Important posts

It's for people who are (or are thinking about) having sex / relationships. It's for all genders (trans inclusive) and sexualities, people with disabilities, backgrounds, beliefs and values. It's got a UK vibe so we say 'snog', 'fancy' and 'shag' a lot. Like most sexual health projects / organisations around the world, we're pro sex worker rights (full decriminalisation of sex work) and pro trans rights.

Most of the materials on here are written by me, Justin Hancock. I've been a sex educator and worked in sexual health services and online since 1999. I do training courses for professionals, and I'm a member of the World Association for Sexual Health. Read more about me and the website.

If you're a teacher please remember this website is not designed for classroom RSE teaching. It's for young people who are thinking about sex and relationships to get some advice and education for themselves. For RSE resources head to Bish Training, my website for practitioners. Feel free to signpost students, you can print posters from the support page.

Latest BISH posts

Support BISH

This is one of the most respected online sexuality and relationships education resources with thousands of young people visiting every day. There are no ads and it's entirely crowdfunded. Please consider supporting BISH with £1 a month to keep the show on the road.

If you want some more advanced advice for adults check out the work I do with Meg-John Barker at megjohnandjustin.com. We wrote a sex advice book called A Practical Guide to Sex and we also have some . I also run a called Culture Sex Relationships.

If you a) are over 18 and b) have money, you might be interested in my Solution Focused coaching service. So if you are struggling with sex, relationships, and you generally, you might find it really useful. We would work to find what resources you already have to help you to realise your best hopes. It's really effective and you may well only need one or two sessions. Find out more at my coaching page here.

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BISH a guide to sex, love, and you (14+)

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BISH (best in sexual health). Sex and relationships advice for over 14s. For anyone thinking about sex, how you feel about you, and your relationships.

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Who Cares? Scotland - A lifetime of equality, respect and love for care experienced people

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Red Flag, Green Flag Video - Who Cares? Scotland

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‘Red flag green flag’ conversation starter video for workers and carers when talking to young people about their sexual health and healthy relationships.

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Sexual Health & Wellbeing - Brook - Fighting for healthy lives

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Brook is the only national charity to offer both clinical sexual health services, education & wellbeing services for young people, plus training & support for professionals.

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Queer Sex Ed

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Read all the best online content anyone could want about bodies, relationships, sex, sexuality, disability, identity and more.

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Let's Work Together

Sexual Health and youth services across Scotland, have staff who will be happy to continue a conversation about what good consent feels and looks like. This may be part of a consultation for your sexual health or because you have something else on your mind.
Get in touch

Cookies on this website

We've put some small files called cookies on your device to make our site work.

We'd also like to use analytics cookies. These send information about how our site is used to services called Google Analytics. We use this information to improve our site.

Let us know if this is OK. We'll use a cookie to save your choice. You can read more about our cookies before you choose.

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Curious about sex, relationships, identity and more? Sex education for the digital age. Award-winning, registered youth charity in the UK.

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Family, Friends & Relationships | Parent Club

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There are lots of things you can do to strengthen the bond between you and your child, from the day they’re born through to the teenage years. Plus we’ve got tips to help you help them form happy, healthy relationships. And we have advice about adult relationships too, including how to cope if you and your partner split up, and information on children’s rights.

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Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) - Brook

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A sexually transmitted infection (STI), is basically any kind of bacterial or viral infection that can be passed on through unprotected sexual contact.

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Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs): Worried You have an STI?

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Browse our pages on the types of STIs, how and why you should get tested and use our STI symptom checker.

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STI Self test booking form for Highland

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We were set up in memory of Emily Drouet, an undergraduate law student, who was subjected to a campaign of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by a fellow student.

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Contact our dedicated Talk Relationships Helpline for advice on:

how to respond to questions or concerns from students, parents or carers

preparing a response to questions you think you may be asked

managing a safeguarding concern or disclosure

managing anxieties about delivering sex and relationships education.

We are committed to supporting people working in secondary education to overcome any challenges they may face when delivering sex and relationships education. If there are any other related topics you want to discuss, please contact the Helpline and we will do our best to support you.

How to contact us

Call 0800 389 5347 or email help@nspcc.org.uk with "Talk Relationships" in the subject line.

We are available from 8am-10pm Monday to Friday and 9am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Other sources of support
If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
If you are in Northern Ireland and have a safeguarding query please contact the Education Authority Child Protection Support Service (CPSS) on 028 9598 5590.

If you are a professional and worried about how child protection issues are being handled within your own organisation, contact our Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285 or email help@nspcc.org.uk. Find our more about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website.

For any general questions about Talk Relationships or technical issues accessing the resources, please contact learning@nspcc.org.uk or call 0116 234 7246 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

Find out more about our full Talk Relationships service.

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delivering sex and relationships education training

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Sex and relationships (RSE) training course for teachers and school leaders | NSPCC Learning

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Online courses to support secondary schools take a whole school approach to inclusive sex and relationships education and deliver lessons with confidence. Take Talk Relationships elearning.

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Eden Court's Queer Youth Arts Collective is an online creative space for Highland-based LGBTI+ young people aged 13 to 18. We meet once a week on Zoom to come together as community, create, and connect. We aim to build a welcoming and inclusive space that queer and questioning young people and allies can make their own.

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Read all the best online content anyone could want about bodies, relationships, sex, sexuality, disability, identity and more.

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Galop works with and for LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence in the UK

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Leadership, Equality and Active Participation (LEAP) in Sports Scotland is a registered charity in Scotland (SCO43210)

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Answer a few questions to find out what contraception method would be a good option for you

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Contraception: Unsure Which Type is Right For You? - Brook

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On Sunday 23 April at 3:00pm, there will be a national test of the service used to tell people about emergencies like severe flooding, fires, or extreme weather in the UK. Your mobile phone or tablet may make a loud, siren-like sound (even if it's on silent), vibrate or read out the alert.

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Can We Talk About Consent video and audio

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I’ve recorded a free video and audio of me reading Can We Talk About Consent, check it out! As you might know, 4 years ago I published my last book ‘Can We Talk About Consent? A book about freedom, choices, and agreement’. It was illustrated by the brilliant Fuschia Macaree and published by Frances Lincoln [...]Read more →

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A reader asks ‘did I consent’? It’s a complex story with a complex answer. There aren’t any graphic descriptions of anything here.

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Accessible, confidential support & advocacy

At RASASH we provide free and confidential emotional and practical support, information and advocacy for survivors of sexual violence and abuse, their non-abusing partners, family and friends.

Your options if you have been raped or sexually assaulted in the last 7 days

At RASASH we can provide information, advocacy and support after a recent rape or sexual assault.

Information for young people aged 13-18

RASASH can provide emotional and/or practical support and information to young people aged 13 to 18 years old.

Service Update

Our Support Line is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9.30am till 12.30pm and Tuesday and Thursday 1.30pm till 4.30pm

you can also contact us for support via email on support@rasash.org.uk or via Text on 07451 288 080

and you can also contact the Rape Crisis Scotland confidential line which is open from 6pm until 12 midnight every evening. Their number is 0808 801 0302.

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Home | Rape & Sexual Abuse Service Highland

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At RASASH we provide free and confidential emotional and practical support, information and advocacy for survivors of sexual violence and abuse, their non-abusing partners, family and friends. At RASASH we can provide information, advocacy and support after a recent rape or sexual assault.

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Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline

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What we do

Our helpline is here to support anyone experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage, as well as their family members, friends, colleagues and professionals who support them. We provide a confidential, sensitive service to anyone who calls us.

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Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline - Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline

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Our helpline is here to support anyone experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage, as well as their family members, friends, colleagues and professionals who support them. We provide a confidential, sensitive service to anyone who calls us.

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Information and advice for young people aged 11 to 18 about sex, relationships and the internet from CEOP Education at the National Crime Agency.

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Real or deepfake_ Guide for young people _ Internet Matters

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Training for youth workers

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Our training catalogue offers a range of professional learning and training across Scotland for youth workers, volunteers and leaders.

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This guide to what is sex aims to answer the most frequently asked questions about sex in a simple and short way. Things like orgasms, consent, positions.

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Anal Sex: The Risks, Staying Safe & How To Prepare For First Time

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Anal sex is any type of sexual activity involving the anus. There are important things to consider if you’re interested in anal sex.

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If you’re unsure how to choose a sex toy, Fumble’s here with a handy guide on dildos, vibrators, butt plugs, and couple toys.

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What do we mean when we talk about sex? What counts as 'having sex'?
This article is about sexual intimacy. If you want to find out more about biological sex and how it is different to gender, head to our article .
So, what is sex?

"In really basic terms, sex is something that involves one or more sets of genitals (of any variety) being touched or made to feel good," says Milly Evans in their book, Honest.

Any of these can be sex:

Oral sex: using your mouth to stimulate your partner's genitals, otherwise known as 'blowjobs', 'eating out' or 'going down on'

Anal sex: touching, massaging, licking or penetrating the anus with a penis or sex toy

Vaginal sex: penetrating the vagina with a penis or sex toy

Hand sex: using your hands to stimulate your partner's genitals, and known as 'fingering' or 'hand jobs'

For any type of sex it's important to make sure you're staying safe and healthy. Make sure you're clued up on different types of contraception and how to prevent STIs before jumping into bed with someone. It's also a good idea to find out where you can access sexual health support if you need it.

Masturbation matters

Some people include masturbation in their definition of sex. This can be called 'solo sex', while sex with a partner is 'partnered sex'. It helps to give masturbation the attention it deserves and highlights that it's no less important to our sex lives than partnered sex.

Why do people have sex?

There are different reasons to have sex, but people commonly have it because of pleasure. Sex is meant to feel good! Sadly, there's still a lot of stigma and shame around talking about sex feeling good. But it's important because this directly links to consent. Why would we consent to any type of sex that doesn't feel good? Maybe, more than that, sex that is painful or uncomfortable?

Sex should be pleasurable and consensual. That means checking in on the other person, making sure they want to have sex and it's feeling good, and stopping if they're unsure or want to stop. It also means feeling able to say to them if you're unsure or want to stop. Remember, you can stop at any time.

We love chatting about sex and pleasure so much that we have a whole Fumble Talks episode dedicated to this:

Why is our definition of sex so important?
Note: 'cisgender' (or cis) refers to people whose gender identity matches the one they were assigned at birth. For example, a cis man is someone who was born with a penis and testicles, was assigned male at birth, and identifies as a man too. Cis is the opposite of trans.
In the past, sex has typically been defined in just one, very limited way: penetrative penis-in-vagina (PIV) sex, with any other kind of intimacy described as 'foreplay'. We also often only see sex represented between cisgender, heterosexual (cishet) couples.

But there are actually lots of different ways to have sex! Sexual pleasure doesn't need to include penetration. We get to decide what 'sex' means to us. Your personal definiton really matters, because you get to define your own boundaries.

It's also worth saying that sex isn't the only form of intimacy, and there are plenty of non-sexual forms of intimacy like hugging, holding hands, or just enjoying someone's company. Some people don't enjoy sex or don't want to have sex for loads of different reasons and that's okay too! You can find out more about this in our article on asexuality.

"As an ace person, I know I'd have been curious enough to read this when I was younger, but it would've left me feeling bad/more confused - that I didn't enjoy sex, that I didn't have the drive to have sex, and that sex is supposed to always feel good. It can be confusing that sex is regarded as the 'ultimate' form of intimacy." - a quote from a member of our Youth Advisory Board

There's lots of different ways to have sex!

We know that defining sex as purely PIV excludes a lot of people and their experiences. For example, many LGBTQ+ people feel they aren't represented by this outdated definition. But limiting our understanding of sex to PIV actually causes problems for cishet couples too. For a lot of people with vaginas it is difficult to orgasm from penetration alone, and putting all our focus on PIV also puts pressure on cishet men to perform to certain expectations.

People may also not want to have PIV sex for a variety of reasons such as health conditions, disabilities or just personal preference. This is absolutely okay! It shouldn't diminish these experiences, or mean that it isn't 'real' or 'proper' sex. It's important to have a much broader and more inclusive definition.

"For some people intimate touching is considered sex and has nothing to do with genitals. What about disabled people who have lost feeling, asexual people who consider sex or intimacy as something different? For example, sex could be defined along the lines of 'an intimate process or act between two or more people for the purpose of pleasure'. I don't think the focus should be on genitals." - a quote from a member of our Youth Advisory Board

Using an inclusive definition of sex makes sure everyone feels seen and their experiences are validated. Knowing about different types of sex also means it's easier to work out and understand what you like, making sex better for everyone!
Read more Last Reviewed 10 December 2024 Image Credit: Zackary Drucker via The Gender Spectrum Collection
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