Scouts will for the first time will be given sexual health advice and may be issued with condoms to prevent unprotected sex, under guidelines to be issued today by the Scout Association.

In a new interpretation of the scout motto Be Prepared, visits to sexual health clinics will also be included.

The visits are suggested for explorer scouts aged 14-18 "to break illusions of what these services are and improve the uptake of advice".

The association's chief scout, Peter Duncan, said: "We must be realistic and accept that around a third of young people are sexually active before 16 and many more start relationships at 16 and 17.

"Scouting touches members of every community, religious and social group in the country so adults in scouting have a duty to promote safe and responsible relationships and, as an organisation, we have the responsibility to provide sound advice about how to do that."

The scouting movement has about 400,000 young members in Britain, approximately 85% of them boys.

The association said the new sexual health guidance was designed to help young people develop the confidence, maturity and self-esteem to resist peer pressure to be sexually active until they are ready to make safe and informed decisions.

Other suggested activities for explorer scouts include role plays on learning to say no.