Ms Elaine Byrnes:

To say something about facilitators, I do not see people going into schools half-cocked. I see it as being part of the Department of Education and Skills or of Department-approved facilitators. They are delivering. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton raised an issue I also have with how sex education is currently delivered, namely, the lack of consistency. Teachers deliver RSE - where they are delivering it - to their own level of comfort. Whether that is due to ethos or the teacher himself or herself, it is not acceptable. That would not happen with any other subject. We would not have a maths teacher saying "I am not comfortable with the theory of Pythagoras so I am not going to deliver it". It would not be acceptable to parents. Why is it acceptable that relationship and sexuality education can be delivered to the level of comfort of whoever in the school has drawn the short straw and must deliver RSE? That is what happens in effect; he or she draws the short straw. There is a collective sigh of relief in the school I am working in now when they see Richie Sadlier and I walk in the door on a Friday. As such, I do not see it as a question of disparate and unregulated bodies going into schools. WHO Europe and the Federation of Health Education in Europe produced a framework for sexuality educators in 2017 which outlines competencies and expectancies for any sexuality educator delivering programmes at second level.

Regarding content, we talk about age appropriateness and stage appropriateness. It is something that needs to be delivered from first year to leaving certificate, building year-on-year starting with 12 and 13 year olds in first year. Senator Ruane asked what is meant by the term "sexual competence". There are four underpinning principles of sexual competence in the module I deliver with Mr. Sadlier and preparing adolescents for the instance of first intercourse. First is absence of regret and second is willingness which means they are not under duress. That brings in consent. Third is autonomy of decision, whereby they are doing something because they want to and not on foot of peer pressure or intoxication. Fourth is reliable use of contraception. Once a young person can tick those four boxes, we regard him or her as sexually competent. However, they have a long way to go in their education before they can tick those four boxes and competently and confidently negotiate consent and sexual relationships. It is important to note that we come from a place of positive sexuality. Senator Ruane referred to that. Heretofore and not only in this country, sex education has been delivered from a risk perspective. What has been highlighted to young people are the risks associated with sex rather than pleasure or the discourse of desire. They do not come into it at all. It is about avoiding risk, unplanned pregnancy and, with the introduction of consent, sticky legal situations instead of mutual pleasure, competence and the development of mutually satisfying relationships.

I am used to working with students at third level but I have been particularly struck by the capacity of the young people I work with at second level to engage in critical evaluation when they have the opportunity to do so. They have the capacity to tease things out and evaluate through debate when they are peer supported. It is very important to Mr. Sadlier and me that the activities in our module are interactive and peer-led. While the boys are supported, they run the activities.