Safeguarding and child protection considerations
Intimate care is an essential part of making sure a child's basic needs are met. Organisations providing intimate care should ensure it is carried out in a safe, respectful and child-centred way.
What is intimate care?
Intimate care is a term used to describe activities involved in meeting the personal care needs of a child. It includes providing care which requires direct or indirect contact with, or exposure of, private parts of the body, such as:
- changing nappies, underwear, continence pads or sanitary wear
- helping a child use the toilet
- bathing, showering or washing
- providing some forms of specialist medical care (such as inserting suppositories or pessaries).
It can also involve other forms of physical care, sometimes referred to as ‘personal care’, including:
- feeding
- changing outer layers of clothing
- applying or administering external or oral medication
- hair care
- washing non-intimate body parts
- prompting children to go to the toilet.
Who needs intimate care?
Children of any age might need intimate care either occasionally or on a regular basis. The type and level of care a child needs depends on a number of factors, including: age; stage of development; and whether the child has any disabilities, special educational or additional needs, or medical conditions.
Why is safeguarding an important part of intimate care?
Providing intimate care involves working with children when they are particularly vulnerable. This can provide heightened opportunities for abuse. It’s important that settings put in place measures to prevent abuse, maintain children’s dignity and create an environment in which all children feel safe and comfortable. As part of this there should be procedures in place for reporting concerns about the conduct of another member of staff.
Intimate care also provides opportunities for focused, positive, one-to-one interaction with a child. Whilst providing intimate care a child might tell you about something which has happened to them, or you may identify potential safeguarding concerns. If a child tells you something concerning, you notice changes in a child’s behaviour, or you spot unexplained bruises or marks you should report your concerns to your nominated child protection lead immediately.
> Read more about recognising and responding to abuse and neglect
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