Frequently Asked Questions

Come Correct is a scheme designed to help keep you safe by giving you access to free condoms in places where you already go. There are Easy Access Points (EAPs for short) across Hackney. It is available to all young people under 25 who live in Hackney.

The service is confidential, you don't even have to give your name! Once you've met one of our trained advisors you'll be given a card so that you can pick up condoms every week, wherever you see the 'Come Correct' logo.

The service is available to anyone under the age of 25. If you are under 16 the advisor will spend a little bit of time with you to make sure that you understand all of the information being given, that you are confident using the condoms and mature enough to make decisions about sex.

Getting condoms from Come Correct is confidential.

Doctors, nurses and other health workers are not allowed to give out information about you without your consent, unless they think you are in danger. If you are under 16, doctors and other workers still have to keep what is said private. Sometimes, a health worker may decide that a patient is not mature enough to make decisions about their treatment, but the consultation can still be confidential.

In exceptional circumstances a health worker might decide they needed to pass on information about a patient to someone else. For example, a doctor might suspect their patient was being seriously hurt in some way. Even so, they would not normally pass on any information without first discussing it with their patient. Government guidance for workers in England means that they are likely to be more worried about young people under 13 who are having sex and might think it would be in the young person's best interest to get some extra help from a social worker.

There are lots of access points around Hackney, in clinics, youth venues, colleges, pharmacies and barbers. Check the 'Where to go' menu to find a list of access points near you

Nothing. The condoms are free!

Although everyone in the EAP will know about Come Correct, only some people are trained to actually give out condoms.

Before you go to the EAP the first time check out the 'where to go' section of this website. This will give you the address and opening times for when you can get condoms. There will also be the name of the main 'condom person.' When you go to the EAP ask for the person by name and mention 'Come Correct' and they will tell you where you need to go. If you see a poster or sticker with the Come Correct logo on it, you could also point to it and ask to see someone to talk about it. That way you don't even need to mention the word condom!

Before you get your condoms the first time you will be invited to speak with a trained advisor. They'll be able to tell you how the scheme works, run through the importance of using condoms to avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy. And they'll make sure you know how to put a condom on correctly. They'll also answer any questions you have. You will be asked a few questions for our records. But remember everything is confidential. You don't even have to give your name or address. They'll give you a Come Correct card so you can get more condoms from any of the venues listed on this site the next time without talking to them! Lastly, you will be given your supplies and they'll check you are happy with your visit and that you have all the information you want.

We take the following information:
- Initials
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- First part of your postcode
- Your sexual orientation (if you chose to share this)
- Whether you're having sex at the moment or just thinking about it.

We may ask some other questions as part of our discussions with you, but these won't be written down and you don't have to answer them if you don't want to.

We don't need to take your name or address because we're not giving you medication. However, we do take some basic information. There are two main reasons we do this.
- Firstly it is so that we can find you again when you return for more condoms.
- Secondly it is so that we can get a picture of who we're seeing across Hackney. We want to reach people across all parts of the borough and to do that we need to check the data that we collect.

It won't be used for any other purpose

When you sign up to the scheme you'll get given your condom card. This is like a credit card for condoms. Show it at any of the access points for your next lot of condoms. Each card gives you six packets of condoms over a period of six or more weeks. Once you've used all of your credits simply take your card to an access point and they'll give you a new one and make sure that everything is going ok. You can carry on getting condoms every week until you reach 25!

The card will have your own number written on it. Because we don't take your name we give you a number that identifies you when you come back. If you lose your card don't worry. The worker will try and find you by searching on your initials and date of birth. If you think you might lose your card, why not save the number in your phone? Then you can make sure you never lose it!

Come Correct provides you with lots of choice so that you can find a condom that suits you. We stock Durex, Pasante and Mates brands. They come in a variety of styles and sizes. We also stock latex free for those of you with allergies and flavoured condoms for oral sex.

If the access point that you visit doesn't have a particular condom that you like please let them know so that they can think about stocking it in the future.

Condoms are number one for protection against STIs and 98% effective in preventing pregnancy....if used correctly, every time you have sex. A male condom is made of very thin latex (rubber) or polyurethane. It fits over the man's erect penis. It catches sperm when a man cums and stops it entering the vagina. Some condoms are lubricated to make them easier to use

Come Correct also offers Female Condoms or femi-doms as an alternative to Condoms. Ask your advisor for more information.

Female condoms are like male condoms except they fit inside the vagina instead of covering the penis. They are 95% effective in preventing pregnancy if used correctly every time you have sex.

Female condoms are very similar to male condoms, except they fit inside the vagina instead of over the penis. They are made of polyeurothane and are slightly wider than a male condom. They are held in place with a ring that lies outside the vagina.

Every time you pick up condoms you'll also be given a couple of packets of lube. Although condoms are already lubricated, using extra lube can prevent the condom tearing and make sex more pleasurable. Lube is especially important during anal sex, but can also be useful for vaginal sex.

Only use water-based lubricants on latex condoms - never use oil-based lubricants or baby oil as they can damage your condom risking the chance of an unwanted pregnancy, getting or passing on a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Many STIs can also be transmitted through having oral sex. Flavoured condoms have been especially designed for use in oral sex (on a man). They're used in exactly the way as regular condoms. The flavoured condoms that you can get on the Come Correct Scheme are all of the same quality as the other standard condoms. This means that they are strong enough for vaginal sex as well. However some flavours might cause some irritation of the vagina. If you're moving from oral sex to other forms of penetrative sex, or the other way round put on a new condom.

During oral-vaginal sex or oral-anal sex (rimming) it is also possible to transmit STIs. Dams are also available from the Come Correct Scheme. Dams are thin sheets of latex, often flavoured and scented. If they're used properly they can reduce the risk of catching or spreading STIs.
- To use a dam, take it out of the packaging carefully and use a water based lube to prepare the vaginal or anal area. Put the dam over the vaginal or anal area before oral sex. Only lick on one side!
- Like a condom, when the dam has been used, wrap it in tissue and put in the bin.