How we can help:

• Many parents find it uncomfortable talking about sex with their children. As a parent carer myself, and through my extensive research, I am acutely aware of the extra emotional minefield you are travelling through.

• Regardless of the diagnostic label given to the challenges your teenage or adult child is living with, in most cases puberty is still going to happen to them. They are going to experience feelings and body changes, and they are going to need answers. You are not alone, and there are answers, and resources out there – we can help you find them through our network of contacts.

• Balancing your roles as Parent, Advocate, and Carer is demanding of your physical, mental and emotional energy. It’s highly likely you have become a pragmatist (if you weren’t one before) – so you’re navigating this “taboo” territory of being involved in your adult child’s sex life, because if you don’t source the help they need, nobody else will.

• We have many years of experience in the area of disability and sex. See our “Meet the Team” page on this website. If we haven’t “been there and done that”, we probably know someone who has! We are happy to signpost you to other organisations we feel may have more lived experience or professional experience than us on a specific topic.

• There can be a lack of relationship and sex education (RSE) offered to young people with disabilities in formal education and residential care settings. Recent changes in government guidelines should help remedy this, but it is going to take time for new work practices to “stick” with the professionals. It is important that your child understands what sort of behaviour from the people around them is okay/not okay. They need to have the words available to them, so they can communicate if someone, or something in their own physical body, is making them uncomfortable. Words can be verbal, through communication methods like PECS or AAC devices, or through sign language.

• Whatever your particular situation is, we are virtually un-shockable. We are comfortable with using a range of terminology from poo to semen (!). You really don’t have to worry about embarrassing or offending us.

• Wherever you or your child is on the rainbow of sexuality and gender, we’ll happily chat with you about your query.

• If you feel unable to ask for support from any of your existing care providers, we are happy to advocate for you, subject to obtaining your written permission to do so.

• Navigating through care needs assessments, personal health budgets, and direct payments is familiar territory to us. We understand the challenges these systems place in front of you, and are happy to peer support you where possible. Generally speaking, sex and intimacy support needs can be included in the section relating to Activities of Daily Living.

• If you think we can help you, please get in touch. Simply email [email protected] or give us a call on 07758 724191.

• I like to work flexibly due to reasonable adjustments for my own disabilities. Please do leave a voicemail message, if necessary, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

• If you prefer, fill in the form on our contact page and I’ll get back to you by email.

• Prefer contacting us by post? Our land address is SWAD Dorset, PO Box 9532, Poole, DORSET, BH15 9HY, UK