The guideline statements in this section address the general principle of accessibility as it applies to effective sexual health education. Effective sexual health education requires financial and administrative support for a broad range of sexual health education activities, including staff training and resource materials, for use in formal and informal settings. Access to effective sexual health education requires ongoing support in both formal settings, such as schools, community groups, health and social service agencies, and in informal settings where sexual health education is provided by parents, caregivers and others. Within the general goals of access for all, effective sexual health education should be structured to be culturally appropriate and reflect different social situations. Gay and lesbian individuals, elderly people, youth and adults who are physically disabled or developmentally handicapped, people who live in geographically isolated regions, poor or homeless people, people living in correctional facilities, Aboriginal peoples, and ethno-cultural minorities are among the groups that require improved access to sexual health education.
Schools are pivotal organizations in providing sexuality education.
They can be a primary vehicle for ensuring that young people have access to effective sexual health education as one component of a comprehensive sexuality education program. As the single formal educational institution to have meaningful contact with nearly every young person, schools are a vital resource for providing children, adolescents, and young adults with the knowledge and skills they will need to make and act upon decisions that promote sexual health. A comprehensive approach to effective sexual health education emphasizes the shared responsibility of parents, peers, places of worship, schools, health care systems, governments, the media, and a variety of other such institutions and agencies. Learning in formal settings, such as schools, community health care systems, and social service agencies is complemented and reinforced by education acquired in informal settings through parents, families, friends, the media, and other sources. The various sources of sexual health education work collaboratively with each other and with related health, clinical and social services to enhance the impact of such education.