Why is this research important?
The United Kingdom's Human Rights Act of 1998 states that every person, no matter their ability, has the right to have loving relationships. People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) report having the same desire for these relationships as people without I/DD. They also report having more difficulty forming and maintaining relationships of all types, including consensual sexual and romantic relationships.
Social care staff are an important part of their clients' lives and are in a unique position to help their clients build and nurture relationships with others. Yet, when it comes to romantic and sexual relationships, research has shown that social care staff can act as a barrier to their clients' romantic and sexual relationships due to:
- their own beliefs and values
- not knowing the organizational policies about client relationships
- the lack of training to help social care staff support their clients' romantic and sexual relationships.
This research explores the beliefs of 26 social care workers in the United Kingdom about their clients' experiences with romantic and sexual relationships.
Research findings
Staff beliefs and values
The care workers in this study reported understanding their clients' desires for relationships but also revealed that they themselves can get in the way of these relationships. This is because of their own beliefs and values, as well as their duty to protect their clients from exploitation.
The participants in the research showed deep care for their clients' desires for romantic relationships. Some participants reported the benefits they've seen from their clients who have romantic relationships and others noted their clients' responses to not having these relationships, like being in an imaginary relationship, finding unsafe relationships online, and even acting in sexually violent ways.
Even though care workers acknowledge their clients' needs, their own values and beliefs about people with I/DD can be a barrier to their clients' relationships. Some values range from not knowing if their client is able to consent to romantic or sexual relationships to not believing their clients even want to have romantic or sexual relationships. When clients do have romantic relationships, care workers reported being so weary that they became unsupportive if them. This is because of their duty to protect their clients from sexual exploitation and abuse. One participant described this as "always trying to walk a bit of a tightrope". These findings show the common misunderstandings about people with ID/D that can get in the way of relationships.
Policy knowledge
In the 90s, the United Kingdom required that organizations supporting people with I/DD create a policy that addressed sexual and romantic relationships. However, many participants in this study reported not knowing if their organization had these policies, and if they existed, they reported not knowing what was in them. This is a significant barrier for people with I/DD that require care from staff. Participants noted that they and their clients could benefit from staff training about the policies that exist regarding sexual and romantic relationships.
Training
This research found that social care staff don't get enough policy training or professional development to confidently support their clients in romantic and sexual relationships. Staff reported that training which addresses biases and myths about the sexuality and relationships of people with I/DD, federal and organizational policies about romantic and sexual relationships, and how to support clients in having safe and healthy sexual and romantic relationships would address the barriers for clients mentioned by the participants in this study.
Practical implications
This study found that social care staff could benefit from having specialized training about supporting their clients' sexual and romantic relationships. There is a need for organizations to create policies and trainings that protect the rights of people with I/DD's to have relationships and support staff in learning and reviewing these policies regularly. When social care staff can address their own beliefs and values about people with I/DD, get accurate and up to date information and strategies to support their clients, and know their organization's policies, people with I/DD are more likely to experience the healthy and loving relationships that they have the right to.
Reference
Bates, C., McCarthy, M., Skillman, K.M., Elson, N., Forrester-Jones, R., Hunt, S. (October 29, 2019). "Always trying to walk a bit of a tightrope": The role of social care staff in supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to develop and maintain loving relationships. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 48(4): 261-268.
