Brook Learn Live

Brook has been at the forefront of providing wellbeing and sexual health support for young people since 1964\. We are the only national organisation to provide both clinical and educational services that address young people's immediate needs and that build an understanding of the importance of positive and healthy relationships. We deliver a blended clinical, educational and wellbeing offer that helps young people to be happy, healthy and safe from harm. Each year, we reach 120,000 young people directly through our work in schools, 500,000+ via our website, train over 6,000 professionals and reach a further 4,000 through our freely available online Brook learn platform.

We are strategically committed to reducing inequality and championing the rights of young people to receive a world-class sex, relationship and wellbeing curriculum and preparing teachers to deliver that across the school strata.

In response to COVID-19, Brook wants to transform the way Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) training is delivered to professionals working in the education sector. The 2020 summer term was the time for schools to prepare for the mandatory introduction of RSE in schools from September 2020\. For most, COVID-19 has impacted on that preparedness, meaning that come September, many schools will not be able to deliver the high-quality RSE young people say they want and need.

COVID-19 presents an opportunity for us to transform the way we deliver professional training. We want to shift our services to digital so that we can continue in the short-term to build professional competences, to generate income through selling our products, and to reach more teachers than we would via face-to-face training methods.

We expect there will be cost-savings for schools too. Delivering a more flexible, digital training offer (one that keeps the best of face-to-face interactions) will reduce the need for additional spend on cover and travel, and more teaching staff can participate remotely. We want to enhance our training offer so that it is deeply rooted in the lived experiences of young people and that becomes an addendum to the face to face work we deliver, rather than distinct from it.

In the last three months we have transformed our professional training and launched Brook Learn Live; which has enabled us to deliver online live training to over 1,500 professional in the last 3 months. Through an extension for impact we want to enhance our offer to professionals by increasing the quality and number Brook Learn Live sessions available. This will would enable us to generate more income, contributing to continued financial sustainability, and continue to increase the competencies and skills of those professionals who work with and support young people; particularly supporting professionals to understand and engage with young people about the impact Covid-19 and the related lockdown restrictions have had on young people’s mental health, relationships and sexual health.