HIV ‘Inbetweeners’ and ‘Misfits’
posted: 21/02/2011
Life in my shoes challenges the stigma and prejudice around HIV and corrects misunderstandings about HIV transmission and treatment.It's a new campaign aimed at teenagers and families affected by HIV, organised by the London family HIV charity Body and Soul.
Life in My Shoes is fronted by actors from the popular television shows The Inbetweeners and Misfits, to appeal to teenage interests, and it offers young people exciting opportunities.
Could you be their star?
Life in my Shoes is a film which will be distributed to secondary schools. The campaign has begun with a competition to find a young person to star in the film. There’s a short script about HIV misconceptions and prejudices. You upload your auditions to the online gallery.
Help spread the word about Life in my Shoes - visit the website, and encourage young people to join the competition. The competition is for all between 14-21 who have stars in their eyes to be on screen, whether or not your life has been affected by HIV.
You can audition and star without saying anything about whether or how HIV affects you.
Young people with or affected by HIV should check the other wannabe stars in the audition gallery. It is a treat to see young people, who may not have thought much about HIV previously, reading the script and showing support for young people whose lives are touched by HIV.
Audition and upload
Upload you audition using their script before Thursday 17 March – St Patrick’s Day
Life in my Shoes is a response to findings from research commissioned by Body & Soul and undertaken by OPM into the attitudes of teenagers to HIV.
Download their report Attitudes to HIV among 12-18 years olds in London
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HIV Sperm Washing NorthWest
posted: 08/02/2011
Sperm washing for people with HIV is now available in North West England. Sperm washing cuts the risk of HIV transmission for couples who want a baby, when the male is living with HIV but his female partner is HIV negative. Sperm washing cuts the risk of passing HIV to the female partner and of the mother then passing HIV to the baby.
More information on sperm washing and HIV here
New sperm washing service in Liverpool
A Liverpool clinic now offers sperm washing and fertility services to people with HIV and other blood borne viruses.
People wanting sperm washing before now have had to travel around 200 miles to London.
Dr Chitra Babu (from the Hathersage Clinic at Manchester Royal Infirmary), has worked with the Greater Manchester Sexual Health Network to arrange in principle for funding to pay for this sperm washing, as a way of reducing the risk of HIV transmission.
HIV positive men with HIV negative partners who want to have children should both go together and talk with their HIV clinic about sperm washing and other ways to cut HIV transmission risks. Liverpool can also provide other fertility treatments – talk with your local HIV clinic.
Leaflet for patients and guidelines for clinics
Within the next couple of weeks there will be a leaflet for couples affected by HIV and guidelines for clinics, and we will then add these here.
Information Sessions - HIV and having a family
Positively UK are holding two HIV and Pregnancy information sessions at George House Trust:
Preconception and Pregnancy:
Saturday 19 February 2011
13:00 – 15:00
Delivery and After Care:
Saturday 19 March 2011
13:00 – 15:00
Both men and women are welcome to attend.
If you need a space for a child at the crèche, please book this in advance
For further information contact Jill Cooke at GHT on 0161 274 4499 or email her, or Angelina from Positively UK on 0207 713 0444 or email her
More information on HIV and pregnancy
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HIV and Pregnancy Sessions
posted: 08/02/2011
Find out more about safely having a family with HIV. We have two information talks and discussions for people with HIV who are thinking about having children or who want to find out more.
- HIV positive and pregnant?
- Thinking of starting a family?
- Would you like to find out more about HIV and pregnancy?
Positively UK are holding two HIV and Pregnancy information sessions at George House Trust:
Preconception and Pregnancy - planning for a baby
Saturday 19 February 2011
13:00 – 15:00
Delivery and After Care - having and caring for your baby
Saturday 19 March 2011
13:00 – 15:00
Both men and women are welcome.
Crèche?
If you need a space for a child at the crèche, please book this in advance with Jill by phone or email - please tell her which date you need the crèche
More information
For more information please call Jill Cooke at GHT on 0161 274 4499 or email, OR Angelina from Positively UK on 0207 713 0444 or email
New - sperm washing in Liverpool
A clinic in Liverpool is now able to provide sperm washing and fertility services to people with HIV and other blood borne viruses. People with HIV will no longer need to go to London.
More information on HIV and pregnancy
i-Base booklet HIV, Pregnancy and Women's Health
MyHIV - having a family pages from the new website for people with HIV in the UK
Aidsmap's booklet for Women
HIV and Sexual Health in Pregnancy - Manchester Maternity Hospitals HIV Information Pack from Manchester Public Health
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Manchester Event - HIV and Young Carers
posted: 27/01/2011
Young carers and families affected by HIV are under the spotlight at an event in Manchester, in early February.
The Children's Society are running a training and consultation event Affecting Change for Families: Improving services for young carers and their families affected by HIV
on Friday 4th February 2011 at the famous Midland hotel in central Manchester.
No-one is sure how many children in the UK are caring for someone in their home with HIV. It is estimated that there are between 15,000 to 20,000 young carers of people with HIV.
This free event aims to ensure those involved in providing services to families affected by HIV including service managers, policy leads, and senior practitioners in health and the Voluntary and Statutory Sector are equipped with the latest guidance and are able to identify and respond to when a children and/or young people is taking on a caring role and to address wider family issues.
The event
- Find out about the Children's Society’s young carers and families HIV work, funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation
- Learn about the issues faced by young carers and their families affected by HIV
- Obtain new Good Practice guidance in multi-agency working with families affected by HIV
- Inform national practice with your own expertise.
Booking form
More information and bookings
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Professionals for HIV Teens to Adults
posted: 21/01/2011
Professionals in the North of England interested in supporting young people with HIV to make the change from childrens to adult services, are invited to regional meetings.
Growing numbers of HIV teens to adults
Many of the children now growing up with HIV are becoming adults and will need to switch to services for adults. Children's and adults' services staff need to think, plan and work together, for a smooth transition between children’s and adult HIV and other services.
Invitation to regional focus group
The Children and Young People HIV Network has arranged focus groups for professionals in the North of England, (and meetings for other regions) to make a start on developing age transition services locally.
The HIV Network invites all children's and adults' professionals (health sector, social care, and community sector) who are, or will, deliver services to 10 – 24 year old young people living with HIV.
This is part of a three-year project to improve the transition of young people living with HIV from children's to adults' services. The project aims to develop capacity by improving partnership working and enabling quality service development, both clinical and social care.
These focus groups will
- find out any current local arrangements for young people living with HIV making the transition from children's to adults' services
- explore the successes and challenges of transition, in different areas, with different numbers of young people, and identify needs
- provide a networking and discussion opportunity for professionals interested in better transitions.
Transitions won't wait
Despite the current upheavals in health, community and social care, young people’s needs for a better transition will not wait. Each area’s professionals need to become involved.
This networking and sharing opportunity will provide professionals with some useful resources on HIV and transition, lunch, and even travel expenses help for some.
Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle, Birmingham
- For Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire – Manchester, 15 March, 14.00-16.30
- For North, West & South Yorkshire, East Riding, and Lincolnshire – Sheffield, 10 March, 13.30-16.00
- For Tyne and Wear, Co. Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland – Newcastle, 2 March, 10.00-12.30
- For West Midlands, and Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire – Birmingham, 15 March, 12.00-14.30.
Join the group where you would have the most service links. No transition arrangements yet? All the better if you attend.
People working with affected families of HIV-positive adolescents are also welcome, although the focus will be on the transition needs of the HIV+ young people.
Book a place
Please email the Children and Young People HIV Network, telling them which one you would like to attend. All places must be booked in advance so they can book suitable accommodation and cater effectively for all. Live elsewhere? - email the Network for details of meetings in other regions
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