First-aid manuals will tell you the best practice for anything from cleaning cuts to resuscitation. Yet they tend to offer only the plain vanilla version of what to do. The idea that young people need a different approach tends not to feature. Stop trying to find your pulse and check out the quick guide.

1. Being self-conscious about your body can go with the territory of adolescence. That means many teenagers might be reluctant to take off a T-shirt even if their mates or parents are around. Especially if their mates or parents are around ... Diplomacy, understanding and tact are required.

2. Sensitivity is important when young people have scars they do not want people to see. They might come from self-harm, drug use or fights. The injury that needs treating now might be self-inflicted. Whatever the cause, young people have a right to privacy and confidentiality. They won't welcome comments or advice from someone treating them for basic first aid.

3. The importance of confidentiality becomes obvious in the case of a young woman who needs first aid but might be pregnant. She might not have told anyone. She might not be willing to discuss it. She is unlikely to be thrilled if you ask her in front of others whether she might be pregnant. The same applies to anyone taking drugs. Discretion, common sense and a non-judgmental attitude are needed.

4. Young people need first-aid skills. They are at least as likely as adults to be the first on the scene of an accident. More likely, when you consider the potentially harmful activities that can take place with no adults present - from larking about in the summer holidays to drug or alcohol misuse. Young people are also more likely to be the victims of violent crime. Knowing how to treat a stab wound inflicted at night, with the victim lying on the pavement, can be life saving. It is relevant and therefore more interesting than the triangular bandages and scalds that are the mainstay of first-aid courses.

5. Young people do not just need skills and knowledge to be effective first aiders. They also need confidence. When an accident happens, adults may automatically take charge, even though their skills may be rusty and their actions flawed. A teenager trained in first aid may know the recommended procedure but may not have the confidence to say so. They can be sidelined or overruled. Being skilled can build confidence but young people also need practice in dealing with uninformed but authoritative adults.

6. It makes sense to aim first aid at the most vulnerable groups. The British Red Cross has devised programmes for homeless people and people with learning disabilities.

- The two main providers of first aid training in the UK are St John Ambulance, tel 08700 104950, and the British Red Cross, tel 0845 601 5743. Visit www.sja.org.uk and www.redcross.org.uk.