Welcome to
Intimate Lives Matter:
Sex Relationships and the Care Act
A project which aims to support social workers to discuss sex and relationships in Care Act assessments with autistic people and people with learning disabilities
What is a Care Act assessment?
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The Care Act (2014) is the legal framework that helps local authorities in the UK decide whether an adult is eligible for care and support, and what support should be provided.
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A Care Act assessment is a person-centred conversation, usually with a social worker, to understand an adult’s care and support needs, how these impact their wellbeing, and the outcomes that matter to them.
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Care Act Reviews are carried out at every year to ensure the support in place continues to meet the person’s needs.
About the project
Sex, intimacy, love and relationships are central to wellbeing, yet they are not always discussed in Care Act needs assessments.
The purpose of this study is to understand how social workers can be better supported to address these needs confidently in Care Act assessments and Care Act reviews with people with learning disabilities and autistic people. We will co-produce and evaluate training materials for social workers.
Project Overview
The project involves two work packages. In the first, we will interview social workers to see what support they need to include sex and relationships within Care Act assessments. Based on what they say, we’ll develop a free training pack, offer this training to up to 80 social workers, and then evaluate that training. We’re also doing workshops with autistic people and people with learning disabilities to create tools and guidance for Care Act assessments which we add to our training.
The second work package involves developing three good practice case studies by choosing and showcasing services which are doing good work to support people with learning disabilities and autistic people’s sexuality to show that it can be done.
The project is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and is in collaboration with the Supported Loving Network, and is jointly led by Dr Monique Huysamen and Dr Claire Bates from Supported Loving, with Dr Georgia Rivers as the research associate, and Professor Chris Hatton and Dr Sarah Pollock as Co-Investigators. The research is supported by an advisory group of autistic people, people with learning disabilities, social workers, and commissioners.
Background
Sex, intimacy, love and relationships are central to wellbeing, yet they are not always included in Care Act assessments or reviews. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to promote wellbeing. Within the Care Act, personal relationships are recognised as an eligible need.
However, most discussion of relationships within Care Act assessments is around relationships with social workers, families and friends, or protection from abuse rather than promoting healthy intimate lives. This is especially true for social workers supporting people with learning disabilities (PWLD) and autistic people, whom society has constructed as asexual and disinterested in or incapable of healthy sex and relationships.
Avoiding conversations around sex and relationships negatively affects the wellbeing of those they are supporting. However, supporting intimate relationships can improve wellbeing, social support, and reduce loneliness.
Social workers may not approach sex and relationships for a number of reasons. For example, the lack standardised guidance on including sex and relationships within Care Act assessments, or concerns about overstepping professional boundaries. Sex and relationships are also still seen as taboo, so social workers may have personal discomfort with discussing these topics.
This study aims to support social workers to include sex and relationships in Care Act assessments with people with learning disabilities and autistic people confidently and consistently.
Objectives
1. To understand how social workers can be better supported to consider and include the intimate lives of people with learning disabilities and autistic people in Care Act assessments and reviews
2. To co-produce outputs that can directly inform social work practice in England to provide more consistent, proactive, and effective support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, including free assessment tools, training and evidence of good practice
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The Intimate Lives Matter research study represents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Programme for Social Care (RPSC) (NIHR208587). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or Department of Health and Social Care.