Take action!!
FASD Awareness Month
National FASD is releasing daily actions that you can do to help spread FASD Awareness this month.
- Visit our Prevent FASD website and have a look around
- Pass on the link (https://preventfasd.info) to anyone who you feel would be able to use the content
Today’s Hashtags:
#FASDMonthUK #PreventFASD #FASDRisk #FASDConceivables
BACKGROUND
Today is World Contraceptive Day. The four Chief Medical Officers in the UK agree that the only way to avoid an alcohol exposed pregnancy is not to drink any alcohol if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. This is the basis of their guidance about safe pregnancies. Of course, contraception is vital in our modern world and is one way to guard against an alcohol exposed pregnancy. Another important way of avoiding FASD is to educate everyone about the risks associated with alcohol use during pregnancy. The Prevent FASD website is one of our contributions to this important source of information.
The Department of Health & Social Care FASD Health Needs Assessment for England makes it clear that education is needed. At the National Organisation for FASD we have taken major steps to contribute to preventing FASD.
On September 9th we launched the FASD awareness tool kit for Midwives, and this will be followed up by an in-depth e-Learning course later in the Autumn. But we need to go further.
Prevent FASD was designed and published in 2020 as a resource primarily aimed at 15-to-25-year olds. As with all our projects we consulted our experts committee as well as representatives from the target age group. Elements of the content are deliberately quite hard-hitting and there are campaigns targeted at different ages within the range such as Noments involving a celebrity relevant to the older end of the age-range.
When you log on you will see that Prevent FASD contains: –
News and information about the impact that alcohol can have on pregnancy as well as our most recent campaigns
- The Conceivables Short comic strip stories about the impact of drinking while pregnant aimed at the younger element of the age-range.
- Have your NOments then-pregnant reality TV star and fitness entrepreneur, Louise Thompson fronts this web series, alongside Consultant Paediatrician Dr Inyang Takon. Hear Louise’s experiences with alcohol, how she cut down on drinking and her route to living alcohol-free ahead of trying to conceive and starting a family.
- RISK A short award-winning film aimed at making young people think about the impact of drinking while pregnant. It’s not what you think ….. Watch to the end for the great reveal. This also comes with educational materials to use in schools and youth clubs. And
- The #WhyRiskIt campaign information about the impact of alcohol.
- There are also new materials available for professionals working in sexual health, pharmacies and general practice explaining the risks associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.
How can PreventFASD be used? This site is relevant for anyone wanting to know more about the risks alcohol can cause during pregnancy and can be used directly by young people themselves as well as by educators and other professionals working with young people. What can you do? Let people know! Share share share….
Stay tuned for a fun addition to the Prevent website that will be released tomorrow!
What is FASD?
Click here to download background about FASD. You can print this and bring it to the GP.
Or go here for more info on our website.
For children and young people – go to www.fasd.me.
National FASD social media tags:
Facebook: @National FASD
Instagram: @nationalfasd
Twitter: @NationalFASD
