ACET Jersey
6 Plaisance Terrace, La Route du Fort, St. Saviour, JERSEY, JE2 7PA
www.acet.jeinfo@acet.jeAbout
ACET (AIDS Care Education and Training) Jersey was founded on World AIDS Day 1994 when it was incorporated as an Association before the Royal Court of Jersey. Many of ACET Jersey’s new members had previously been involved in the work of CCfAS (Christian Care for AIDS Sufferers), which had been founded during the early days of the AIDS pandemic by Dr John Stewart-Jones and a group of Christians drawn from across the churches in Jersey.
CCfAS was originally established to educate members of the churches about HIV/AIDS and provide unconditional compassionate care for people living with HIV who were, at that time, living in great fear of the stigma and discrimination, which surrounded people living with HIV in Jersey. The association commissioned a feasibility study to examine the need for an AIDS hospice in Jersey. Over a period of two years it became apparent that the numbers would not warrant an AIDS hospice, however a need for prevention programmes, which would educate young people about the risks and equip them with the skills they need to avoid infection, was established.
By 1994 it was felt that there was a great deal to be gained by becoming part of the growing ACET network which was founded in London in 1988 by Dr Patrick Dixon, a young Christian doctor working in terminal care.
ACET was already well established in London where the operation was mobilising local churches to support hundreds of HIV+ people, many of whom were already dying from AIDS. ACET had also developed a very successful education programme, which was being delivered in schools across the UK by teams of trained Associate Educators.
ACET Jersey was launched as an independent member of the ACET International Alliance on World AIDS Day in 1994
ACET has been pioneering projects, which deliver effective HIV/AIDS care, education and training in Jersey since 1995. The charity has an impressive record of highly successful, targeted projects, which have been delivered within budget in an efficient and cost effective manor.
Mission
ACET Jersey has three strategic goals. We aim to:
Prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Jersey
Ensure everyone affected has equal access to treatment together with emotional and practical care and support
Eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination
We achieve this by:
Influencing attitudes, behaviour and decisions at all levels that have an impact on the lives of people affected by, and at risk of, HIV and AIDS in Jersey.
Providing practical and emotional care and support for all who are affected by HIV, regardless of how they come to be so, fighting stigma and discrimination and encouraging acceptance of those with HIV.
Delivering life-saving education, encouraging long-term healthy lifestyle choices, giving young people the skills and confidence to resist peer pressure and to find their own way, using messages that are clear and adapted to each audience.
Providing training for employers, professionals and workers on all the issues, including stigma and discrimination, associated with HIV/AIDS in the workplace and the wider community.
Values
We aim to provide HIV care, education and training that is effective, sensitive and appropriate to all members of our diverse community.
To achieve this we have adopted the following values, which underpin our services:
Accessible to all. We take account of the particular needs of different groups in our diverse community, for example people whose first language is not English.
Affirming diversity. We reflect an understanding of diversity in all our practice, supporting the right to sexual health for all. In particular, we pay attention to the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups and communities who might suffer from discrimination or inequalities in sexual health.
Equipping individuals and groups to resist coercion. This includes equipping people with a belief in their sexual health rights and the skills to identify and avoid pressure, exploitation, abuse, harassment and bullying.
Supporting the development of self-esteem. Self-esteem plays a vital role in enabling individuals, groups and communities to negotiate equally and to make healthy choices and decisions.
Enabling people to develop practical skills as key elements of sexual health and related decision making. We recognise that simply giving people facts does not change behaviour. We therefore aim to help people take more control over their lives, their health and their bodies for example by acquiring practical skills such as negotiation or assertiveness.
Objectives
Our current priorities and objectives include:
Care
Providing confidential practical and emotional support services in both English and Portuguese for people living with or affected by HIV in Jersey. This includes providing advice and information as well as practical and financial support when needed.
Providing an advocacy service on behalf of all people living with or affected by HIV in Jersey.
Education
Delivering a programme of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention education as part of the PSHE curriculum in local secondary schools and other educational settings.
Creating opportunities for young people in youth clubs and other community settings to discuss, reflect upon and explore their attitudes, values and beliefs in relation to HIV, sexual health and drugs.
Delivering a programme of Blood-borne virus awareness and prevention education for staff and prisoners at HMP La Moye.
Creating educational opportunities for migrant workers to access local health information and improve their health literacy, in the context of a community development programme.
Providing a website, in both English and Portuguese, with comprehensive information about all the issues associated with HIV/AIDS care, education and training in Jersey.
Providing free publications and printed resources, which educate all sectors of the community about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. This currently includes HIV Facts for Life, a booklet for teenagers, A Parent’s Toolkit, and Adam and Eve, a guide to sexual health in Portuguese.
Training
Providing a comprehensive training programme of equality and diversity training for employers, workers and employee representatives on all issues associated with HIV in the workplace
Developing and implementing a training programme to tackle blood-borne viruses at HMP La Moye
Delivering an equality and diversity training programme, Working towards am HIV-friendly School, for staff in all island schools.
Delivering HIV child protection training for Social Workers, Professionals and other staff working with HIV-positive children and young people and their families.
Providing training to help English and Portuguese parents talk to their children about sex and relationships and support them as they grow up and face the challenges sexual maturity brings.
Categories: Charities, Education, Healthcare.
