Sustaining the health and adult social care workforce
What investments and actions are required to create a sustainable health and social care workforce?

Teaching about relationships and sex in UK schools often focuses on the biology of reproduction. Stakeholders have called for lessons to cover a broader range of issues, such as healthy relationships and the risks posed by using digital technology. The subject Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) will become statutory in all secondary schools in England in the near future. There is ongoing consultation into what will be included in the statutory guidance for RSE. This POSTnote reviews evidence on the potential outcomes of RSE in schools and how to maximise its effectiveness.
Relationships and Sex Education (457 KB , PDF)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/PN576
Stakeholders have suggested that well-taught RSE can improve public health, address inequalities, promote healthy relationships, and improve awareness of the risks posed by using digital technology. Many studies on RSE are international and there are relatively few that focus just on the UK. As RSE programmes historically focussed on public health outcomes (such as reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections), more evidence is available on the effect of RSE on these outcomes than on others (such as reducing partner violence).
Key Points
Acknowledgements
POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders, and are externally peer reviewed. POST would like to thank interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing, including:
*Denotes people and organisations who acted as external reviewers of the briefing.
Relationships and Sex Education (457 KB , PDF)
What investments and actions are required to create a sustainable health and social care workforce?
Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) are important for the UK’s economic future. How can the routes through education and into STEM be improved?
This POSTnote considers the potential impacts of birthrate decline, including on the workforce and the provision of public services.