7. Practical steps in sexual safety practice

Throughout this resource we have explored what sexual safety means for different people from a range of perspectives. We have also considered the key facets that support the promotion of sexual safety in everyday practice. These include for example, effective communication - listening and openness to sexual safety conversations whilst being mindful of the environment, timeliness of discussions within an individual's care journey and the pivotal place of safety within previous trauma contexts.

In this final section of the resource we invite you to consider how you can translate your learning into practical and visible examples for everyday practice. This might include for example, clearly exploring and recording sexual safety within core care documents, knowledge of referral pathways to other agencies and promoting sexual safety as a core value within your organisation.

There is a further link to the Royal College of Psychiatrists Sexual Safety Collaborative with further guidance and practical resources.

It is also important to highlight the importance of actively involving recipients of care in the development of sexual safety initiatives as we have in the development of this resource. The methods and means of co-production however will need to be explored within your own organisation and contexts of care. You can find further information regarding co-production in the resources section.