Providing Intimate Care

It is Active’s policy to provide intimate care to children and young people who use services in ways that support and promote dignity, wellbeing, and independence.

Statements of Good Practice

1.Treat every child with dignity and respect and ensure privacy. Seek the child’s permission prior to carrying out any procedure/ intervention

2.Involve the child/young person in their own intimate care and be aware of and responsive to the child’s reactions.

3.Encourage the child/young person to have a positive image of their own body. Confident, assertive children who feel their body belongs to them are less vulnerable to abuse

4.Make sure practice in intimate care is as consistent as possible. Always wash intimate parts with a wash cloth/wipe and not bare hands

5.Where two people have been allocated for moving and handling purposes, consider that once the manual handling task is complete, could the second person remove themselves until the child has been dressed

6.Report any changes or concerns to your line manager at the soonest opportunity.

7.Have regard to the gender of support worker providing intimate care. As a general guide children up to the age of 8 can be supported by either gender. Over this age the views and feelings of the child are critical to deciding who should provide intimate care

8.Make sure you are wearing the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

All individual preferences are detailed in the Person Centred Support Plan.