Supported Loving
Supported Loving blogs and publications
Supported Loving is attracting interest from many different people - read what they are saying in their blogs.
Blogs
Having a Baby
Beyond Words launches a new evidence-based picture story called, Having a Baby, which aims to improve the experience of maternity care for expectant parents with learning disabilities.
Read moreStand by Me
Take part in a new UK-wide research study on supporting couples when one partner has dementia.
Read moreAn online love story
Paige and Oliver are a young couple, who are both supported by Choice Support. Sara Dean, Choice Support Homes’ Manager in Cheshire, tells us about supporting Paige and Oliver to keep in touch during these difficult times.
Read moreGr8 Mates get engaged
Simon and Dawn met as members of the Gr8 Mates friendship project. Simon remembers “when we bought our engagement rings, the minute I had Dawn’s, I went down on one knee and proposed to Dawn in the shop...”
Read moreSupported Loving meets the British Psychological Society
Supported Loving and 2BU, a LBGTQ+ social group for adults with learning disabilities, present powerful first-hand accounts to the British Psychological Society.
Read moreJust support me to lead an ordinary life
Dr Claire Bates congratulates Stay Up Late on their (un)ordinary conference
Read morePreventing sexual harm
Winner of Winston Churchill Fellowship, Sue Sharples, Chair of U-Night Group in Lancashire, calls for your involvement in her research to prevent sexual harm.
Read moreCQC responds to plea for guidance on relationships
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have just published their new guidance on relationships and sexuality after listening to self-advocates with learning disabilities and Supported Loving.
Read moreSafe Soulmate – a new dating agency
Do you want to make new friends or find a loving partner? Are you an adult with learning disabilities or autism, living in Cambridgeshire? You may be interested in a new dating agency, called Safe Soulmate.
Read moreThinking out loud
People with learning disabilities are just like you and me....defining themselves as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning who they are sexually.
Read moreTransgender easy read guide
We launched a new Transgender easy read guide at the Learning Disability England conference in Manchester.
Read moreRemembering a fortunate encounter with Dave Hingsburger
Perhaps it’s good to have someone to look up to, whose qualities are a source of aspiration and inspiration, someone to follow, learn from and be motivated by.
Read moreWhat it means to be transgender
The following blog was written by a person with learning disabilities, who wanted to share her experiences of how good support has helped her to live the life she has always wanted.
Read moreLGBT social groups
Social groups for people with learning disabilities who identify as LGBT are few and far between.
Read moreSupported Loving - how can families help?
I went to speak with the Supported Loving network about a family perspective on the near taboo subject of sexual relationships between people with learning disabilities.
Read moreSexuality and learning disabilities
Sexuality and Learning Disabilities is a book published by Learning Disabilities Today and edited by Choice Support's Dr Claire Bates.
Read moreRESPOND – My Life, My Marriage Project
Research indicates that people with a learning disability can be forced into marriage and many cases can go unreported.
Read moreLove is...
The Brelade Players, a performance group in Brighton and Hove, came up with words and artwork, which was incorporated into a beautiful love poem.
Read moreIs love still a taboo subject?
Mark my 23-year-old son, has always had an eye for the ladies. He wants to meet the right girl and have love and romance in his life.
Read moreOpening a can of worms
LDT publishes Dr Claire Bates’ blog challenging ingrained cultural barriers to love and sex.
Read moreAll you need is love
The lyrics of the Beatles song say “all you need is love”. I believe that love is the central key to citizenship which is something that every one of us has a right to.
Read moreEasy complacency or hard commitment
If you are provider of support for people with a learning disability it is easy to be complacent about helping people to develop close, intimate relationships.
Read moreRelationships are for everyone
Many take relationships for granted, yet forget or are fearful about empowering opportunities for people with learning disabilities to meet potential partners.
Read moreLove is not a luxury
Dr Erin Ferguson's research explores how people with learning disabilities can access the messy, fun, exciting and frightening world where love is not a luxury.
Read moreStarting the conversation
Gillian Leno, intimate relationships teacher, writer and researcher, writes about the lasting impact of collaborative work.
Read moreLove is real, real is love
We should all be made aware that regardless of age, disability and race, everyone needs love and relationships in their life. In the words of John Lennon “love is real, real is love".
Read moreWhy accessible information is important for healthy relationships
CHANGE, a leading human rights organisation, says sex education is needed for everyone.
Read moreI haven't always been in a happy relationship
Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people with disabilities who are married.
Read morePride in LGBT relationships
Learning Disability Today publishes blog by Dr Claire Bates on LGBT Pride.
Read moreThe importance of Supported Loving
I attended my first Supported Loving event last week. What a great day. Sexual relationships are an important part of most people’s lives, but for people with learning disabilities this is often not the case.
Read moreA sister's point of view on learning disability dating scene
I’m Helena, sister and founder of Happily friendship and dating agency. I want to share my personal experiences from the learning disability dating scene and why I have decided to launch my own agency, Happily.
Read moreKatie...finding love through a dating agency
I first joined Mates 'n' Dates about a year ago. Mates 'n' Dates help people with learning disabilities to meet others and form a friendship or relationship - whatever your heart desires, basically.
Read moreMates 'n' Dates
I’m Maxine, I work at Guideposts co-ordinating Mates 'n' Dates, our friendship and dating scheme for adults with learning disabilities in Oxfordshire.
Read moreSex, love and citizenship
Love is one of the seven keys to citizenship, Dr Simon Duffy, Centre for Welfare Reform.
Read moreDaniel and Angela - building a relationship
Supported Loving is about highlighting the importance of good support to help people with learning disabilities to have loving relationships. This becomes even more important for staff working with people with more complex needs around relationships, sexuality and intimacy.
Read moreJosephine and Jack - relationships and sex
Josephine and Jack are a unique approach to supporting people with learning disabilities to talk about relationships and sex.
Read moreWhat is Supported Loving?
In 2009 Choice Support sponsored me to start a PhD. I understood then that the amount of work involved meant that I would be thinking of little else for years, so I knew I had to choose a topic that was important to me.
Read moreMore about Supported Loving
Supported Loving webinars
Find all Supported Loving webinars here, where we discuss good support around sexuality and relationships
Read moreSupported Loving network
Supported Loving is not a formal membership organisation. Anyone can take part, it is free.
Read moreWhat is Supported Loving?
For some people finding love is often more than just chemistry – it can come down to getting the right support
Read more