About Us
Our Mission
The Family Planning Association’s mission is two fold:
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to be THE provider of gold standard, accurate, unbiased and up-to-date information on sexual and reproductive health, and
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to be a leader in offering high quality resources for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)
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Government lobbying win - good news for RSHE
September 2024
As many have seen – the previous Government created some potentially harmful changes to both:
- Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, and
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory guidance
Although the new government’s next steps are not yet clear, there is some positive news – RSHE changes have not gone live and harmful KCSIE changes have been paused. More info here.
We’re not out of the woods – see link above – but after a lot of campaigning this pause is a small win.
Many thanks to all of you who also campaigned for the changes to be stopped!
Company update: Family Planning Ltd
1st July 2024: Family Planning Ltd is live and has a new address.
After investing in FPA, McCorquodale (Midlands) Ltd have moved the FPA back into its own organisation: Family Planning Ltd.
We’ve also got a lovely new warehouse and address:
Family Planning Ltd
35 Kingsway Industrial Park
Kingsway Park Close
Derby DE22 3FP
Contact number and email remain unchanged:
- Phone: 020 7608 5240
- Email: fpadirect@fpa.org.uk
New payment details
The payee name is now: Family Planning Ltd.
If in doubt, or to check invoice details are valid, please contact us via phone or email for new payment details.
New for RSHE/PSHE resource for secondary schools
May 2024: New “Sexual Health Essentials”
7 high quality, relevant, frank and fun secondary school lessons on sexual health.
- Clinically led online sexual health teaching resource created by You Before Two
- Helps you teach difficult topics such as penile & vulval health, STIs, menstrual health, consent and contraception
- PSHE Association accredited
- National curriculum compliant
- Designed by doctors
- Up-to-date and ready to teach
For more – see Sexual Health Essentials
Sexwise
Winter 2023 – Spring 2024: an FPA campaign to keep the Sexwise website running
… with us…the FPA… picking up the costs AND giving out 40,000 free booklets!
Sadly our campaign hasn’t worked see – Sexwise.org.uk Closing Despite FPA Offering to Run it for Free!
New Patient Information
November 2023: New “FPA Medical Professional”
A one year membership that gives clinicians and teachers:
- A new way to share access to over 30 easy-read digital guides with patients and pupils, and
- A discount on the FPA’s patient information booklet
Read more about FPA Medical Professional membership
A New Life for the Family Planning Association
The old and the new: bridging the gap of FPA the Charity and FPA the Company
The Family Planning Association (FPA), started a movement, turned into a Charity and became a Company in 2019. In its history of almost 100 years, real achievements have happened.
The Family Planning Association (FPA), started as a movement in the 1930s, registered as a Charity in the 1960s and become a Company in 2019.
In its history of almost 100 years, real achievements have been made. Continue reading…
FPA celebrated 80 years
In the last decade we have continued to support and champion the rights of everyone to good sexual health.
We ran the first national awareness campaign focusing on the rights of people with learning disabilities to fulfilling sexual relationships:
1990
The Family Planning Association becomes FPA to mark its broader sexual health remit
FPA launches Sexual Health Direct: a helpline and library service plus two new annual campaigns: Contraceptive Awareness Week and Sexual Health Week.
In the last decade, we have continued to support and champion the rights of everyone to good sexual health.
A government action plan for reducing teenage pregnancies in England included a call for clearer guidance on contraceptive provision for under-16s and new criteria for effective services for young people.
1980
Cuts in health service expenditure threatened family planning clinics and some areas suffered a reduction in services. Kenneth Clarke, Minister of Health of the time, stressed the need to maintain a free contraceptive service.
In 1984 DHSS guidelines on the provision of contraceptives to under-16s were suspended in December, following an Appeal Court ruling in favour of Mrs Victoria Gillick. Parental consent was judged to be important and except for advice given in an ‘emergency’ or ‘with leave of the Court’ health care professionals were deemed to be acting illegally if they provided contraceptive advice or treatment to girls under 16 without parental consent.
Parental consent is needed to provide contraception to under 16s.
1970
Sex + Pill = Freedom
Sex + Pill = FreedomBy 1970 all FPA clinics were supplying advice and treatment to everyone.
In 1974, our aim of universal free contraception was achieved when our network of over 1,000 clinics was handed over to the NHS. Family planning was now part of the health service – and has remained there ever since.
All FPA clinics now give contraceptive advice to single people.
1960
During the 1960s the social and sexual attitudes changed dramatically.
The Pill was first prescribed in FPA clinics in 1961 and within ten years had become the method of choice for over a million women. This highly reliable method brought a new sense of sexual freedom to men and women.
The Family Planning Association become a registered Charity.
The Abortion Act legalises abortion in England, Wales and Scotland; and the Sexual Offences Act legalises homosexuality for men aged 21+.
1950
Then in the 1950s, FPA clinics began to offer pre-marital advice to women
…although proof, such as a letter from a vicar or family doctor, was often required before contraceptive supplies were provided.
1940
The NHS is formed, but family planning services are not included.
A change is coming
A change is comingFor FPA, the early days were a struggle, fought under great pressure from religious groups and the press. And it wasn’t just insults being hurled. Eggs, apples and bricks were frequently thrown at our clinics, and volunteers were verbally and physically threatened.
But change was soon in the air. The Second World War saw many old conventions left behind, and sex was more freely available – as were sexually transmitted infections.
Fighting for the sexual and reproductive rights of every person
In 1930, there were just 20 family planning clinics, knowledge of contraception was limited to those who had money, and good information and open discussion about sexual health was practically non-existent. To counter this, the National Birth Control Council was formed in 1930 (the name changed to The Family Planning Association in 1939) “so that married people may space out/limit their families and thus mitigate the evils of ill health and poverty”.
National Birth Control Council
FPA parent organisation, the National Birth Control Council, is formed with 20 clinics ‘so that married people may space or limit their families and thus mitigate the evils of ill-health and poverty’.
FPA the sexual health company provides a unique online shop filled with products and resources on sexual and reproductive health.
Our company is run by professionals in the sexual health field. We have strong links with the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) and British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH).
At FPA we provide the highest quality information leaflets to healthcare professionals on contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) and pregnancy choices. These leaflets are updated according to FSRH and BASHH clinical guidance amongst other leads in the field maintaining the gold standard seal of approval.
At FPA we also provide information for teachers and have a range of leaflets for secondary schools and our flagship online tool Growing up with Yasmine and Tom for primary schools.
We have a range of information on sexual and reproductive health to cater for everyone who has an interest in this area.
