Best practices for sexual health education

Supporting Student Health Guide – Elementary (B.C. Curriculum)

This guide helps educators teach health topics in age-appropriate, inclusive ways. It provides clear strategies, sample language and tips for creating safe, respectful classroom discussion.   

Supporting Student Health Guide - Secondary (B.C. Curriculum)

This guide equips educators with strategies and tools to confidently teach health topics in inclusive, age-appropriate ways. It offers sample language, to support respectful discussions on subjects like consent, relationships and substance use.

Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education (Sex Information & Education Council of Canada - SIECCAN)

This resource provides evidence-based guidelines for delivering effective and inclusive comprehensive sexual health education. It supports educators with practical strategies and tools that align with curriculum, and national standards while promoting student health and well-being. 

Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Prevention within School-Based Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (SIECCAN)

This resource expands on the Canadian Guidelines on Sexual Health Education by outlining benchmarks for incorporating gender-based violence as part of a comprehensive approach to sexual health education.

Questions & Answers: Sexual Health Education in Schools and Other Settings (SIECCAN)

This resource provides comprehensive and evidence-based answers to questions that educators, parents and communities may have about sexual health education. 

Trauma-Informed Practice – Resources (Government of B.C.)

Trauma-Informed Practice (TIP) resource page that promotes practical tools such as the Healing Families, Helping Systems TIP Guide, webinars and checklists to help educators and service providers integrate trauma-informed strategies into their daily work. 

Decision Support Tool: Student Mental Health Awareness Initiatives (School Mental Health Ontario)

This Decision Support Tool helps schools evaluate and select mental health awareness initiatives. It offers an evidence-informed framework to ensure initiatives are safe, and supportive of student well-being. 

Youth in Canada want Sexual Health Education that is balanced, respects diversity and promotes gender equality – Fact sheet (Sex Information & Education Council of Canada - SIECCAN) 

This infographic emphasizes the need for inclusive, evidence-based sexual health education that reflects the diverse identities and experiences of youth. It highlights what young people want from sexual health education, and demonstrates the importance of listening to youth voices in shaping effective and equitable programs. 

The Well-Being Gap: Highlighting challenges and supports for gender diverse youth health in B.C., 2018-2023 (Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, University of British Columbia and McCreary Centre Society)

This 2024 report provides valuable guidance for addressing health and well-being disparities among gender-diverse youth. It highlights key strategies such as fostering access to supportive relationships, implementing gender-inclusive sexual health education in schools and promoting anti-discrimination efforts within communities. By incorporating the report’s identified protective factors and evidence-based findings into policy and practice, service providers can more effectively support gender-diverse youth and advance equity in health outcomes.

Find links to Canadian based agencies that promote evidence based comprehensive sexual health resources:

• Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
• Public Health Agency of Canada  
• World Health Organization  
• Society for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Canada  
• Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) 
• Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN)  
• Importance of Sexual Health Education in Schools (Saskatchewan Prevention Institute) 
• General Learning Outcomes and Myths and Facts (Government of Manitoba)

Healthy schools action plan activities to support sexual health (PDF download) (York Region) 

The Healthy Sexuality School Framework from York Region Public Health provides a comprehensive, school-wide approach to promoting healthy relationships and sexuality. It can support B.C. schools by offering actionable strategies across five key areas – curriculum, leadership, student engagement, environment and community partnerships. 

Healthy schools program

This page provides information about comprehensive school health, which is an internationally recognized framework for supporting improvements in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way. This approach can be used for sexual health education in schools.  

Language Matters! An introductory Guide for Understanding Mental Health and Substance Use: A Resource for Educators and School Communities (B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care)

This Ministry of Education resource demonstrates the importance of using inclusive, non-stigmatizing language to create safe and supportive learning environments for students with a focus on mental well-being.

Words Matter (BC Public Service)

This guide from the BC Public Service emphasizes the power of language in creating respectful, inclusive and equitable workplaces. It offers practical examples to help school staff communicate in ways that affirm identity, reduce harm and foster belonging – principles that are equally valuable in work and school settings.

Gender Inclusive Language (Trans Care BC)

This guide offers practical strategies for using respectful, affirming language to help create safer, more welcoming environments.

Inclusive language and terms (Government of B.C.)

This guide from the Government of BC (updated January 2024) promotes respectful, non-stigmatizing communication that affirms identity and fosters belonging.   

Sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression page

This page includes information on sexuality, biological sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression..

Legislation & Policy Related to Victims in the Criminal Justice System (Government of B.C.) 

Outlines key laws and policies—such as the Victims of Crime Act, Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, and Violence Against Women in Relationships (VAWIR) policy—that guide how victims are treated within the justice system. While not specific to sexual health education, this resource is relevant to schools by supporting trauma-informed responses to disclosures of sexual violence, ensuring students are connected to appropriate supports and understand applicable legal rights. 

Safe and Caring School Communities (Government of B.C.) 

This policy provides B.C. schools with a framework to foster inclusive, respectful and trauma-informed environments that prevent and respond to bullying and violence. It supports sexual health education by promoting school cultures that value diversity, human rights and student safety. 

Reporting Child Abuse in B.C. (Government of B.C.) 

Provincial government resource that outlines the legal duty under the Child, Family and Community Service Act for anyone to report suspected child abuse or neglect, with 24/7 access to child protection workers. This resource is relevant to sexual health education in schools by reinforcing the importance of recognizing and responding to signs of sexual abuse, ensuring educators and staff are equipped to protect students and connect them with appropriate supports. 

Alternative Delivery in the Physical and Health Education and Planning 10 Curricula (Government of B.C.)   

This policy allows students and their parents or guardians to arrange alternative ways of learning about sexual health topics outside the regular classroom setting, in consultation with their school. While students cannot opt out of the learning entirely, this policy supports flexibility in how sexual health education is delivered ensuring the content is still addressed through an agreed-upon alternative method. 

Learning Resources (Government of B.C.) 

This policy for B.C. public schools outlines how school boards are responsible for selecting and approving educational materials used in classrooms. This policy is relevant to sexual health education as it ensures that sexual health learning resources are locally vetted for appropriateness, alignment with curriculum and cultural responsiveness, giving districts flexibility while maintaining educational standards.

The Student Success Website by the Ministry of Education offers a variety of publicly available student data. 

The SFU CHART Lab Youth Development Index (YDI) captures population-level data on grade 10-12 students’ development associated with health and well-being.   

The UBC Human Early Learning Partnership - Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) offers insights into the well-being of children in Grades 4–8, emphasizing protective factors such as connectedness, resilience and emotional health.  

The BC Adolescent Health Survey (AHS) reveals emerging trends in youth behaviour, including shifts in sexual activity, substance use, and mental health indicators. With responses from over 38,000 youth, the AHS identifies risk and protective factors that can inform targeted interventions and curriculum development.

Complementing these developmental insights, BC Centre of Disease Control's sexually transmitted infections data tracks the prevalence and trends of sexually transmitted infections across B.C. These reports help identify priority areas for education and prevention, ensuring that sexual health programming remains.

Together, these data sources can empower educators, health professionals and policy makers to make informed decisions that reflect the lived experiences and health realities of B.C. youth. By aligning curriculum with evidence, we can better support students in developing the knowledge, skills and confidence to navigate their sexual health safely and responsibly.