Justin Hancock (2021) “Can We Talk about Consent?”
Very readable book aimed at mainstream 14+. Extremely useful for practitioners to reflect on their practice around consent. Highly recommended.
Supported Loving toolkit
This toolkit page is about balancing the rights of individuals we support, to explore their intimate lives with the management of any associated risks.
We will look at what we mean by risk, as well as considering who is responsible for managing it. This can be a challenging area for staff who feel they are responsible for minimising risks occurring to the people they work with wherever possible. However, this risk-averse approach can have the effect of disempowering people and leaving them feeling restricted. This in turn can lead individuals to take greater risks, and to be unsupported in doing so, leaving them more vulnerable.
Risk is:
We like this definition of positive risk-taking from Gloucestershire County Council: A Positive Approach to Risk and Personalisation, "Positive risk management does not mean trying to eliminate risk. It means managing risks to maximise people’s choice and control over their lives."
All relationships, therefore, carry elements of risk. Every interaction with another person could lead to a negative outcome. Types of risk can include:
A vast majority of interactions with others, in properly supported relationships, can lead to chances for joy, nurturing and happiness. Nobody should be denied the opportunity to make those choices. Our role in supporting people includes respecting and upholding their rights, not prohibiting or limiting them.
People are less likely to have had access to representative and inclusive relationships and sex education (RSE), and other non-judgmental information. Even with support, issues include:
Staff’s restrictive approaches can stem from:
Join Nigel Hodges for a webinar, which explains how to develop bespoke RSE sessions and allow participants opportunities to think about decisions they might take about their relationships.
Simon has a profile on Grindr where he sends lots of intimate images of himself to lots of different men.
Risks to Simon, from the other men involved:
Risks to Simon, from his support staff/provider
Risks to the other men involved:
Risks to his support staff/provider:
The greatest risks are still arguably for Simon! How could they be minimised whilst still allowing him to enjoy exploring his intimate life and sexual expression?
Ask:
Remember:
Nigel Hodges, semi-retired Learning Disability Nurse, specialising in sex and relationships.
Nigel also runs Supported Loving's reflective learning group.
The views expressed in the Supported Loving toolkit are not necessarily those of Choice Support.