A PROJECT to help improve relationships for young people across Swindon is due to be set up.

The Swindon Children’s Trust Board will be presented with a report tonight which paints a picture of sexual health in the town and sets out plans to improve sexual health outcomes of young people.

It comes after it was revealed that 334 people accessed the Swindon and Wiltshire Sexual Assault and Referral Centre between April 2010 to March 2011, and 97 of these were under the age of 18.

An audit of sexual exploitation across the town in May 2011, led by the Sexual Exploitation Strategy Group, identified 35 under 18s who were either being sexually exploited, or were at significant risk of being exploited.

The board will be asked to agree for a project to begin in April and be concluded in September which will support the town’s activity in raising awareness and reducing risk of sexual exploitation and sexual violence among young people. Julie Northcott, the strategic planning and commissioning manager for sexual health, said: “The ability to form and maintain relationships, both non-sexual and sexual, is a key determinant in predicting life-long outcomes.

“And we recognise the importance of this in our work to reduce poor outcomes such as sexual exploitation, sexual violence, domestic abuse and relationship breakdown.

“National evidence shows that young people consistently find relationships education to be lacking and that this is an area they want to understand better.

“Parents have shown support for schools to provide this, however, there is no statutory expectation to provide relationships education in the curriculum.”

Schools and colleges will be expected, within the recently published revised OfSTED framework, to show evidence of young people’s skills and understanding of relationships.

The work will be lead by the sexual health commissioner.

Any victims of sexual abuse can contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or, alternatively, log on to its website, which can be found at www.nspca.org.uk.