Protecting sexual safety in aged care

All older people receiving aged care have sexual rights, including the right to engage in safe, consensual sexual expression and intimate relationships. They also have the right to be free from sexual harm.

Sexual harm is anything that affects a person's safety, dignity or wellbeing. It can include:

• stopping or restricting safe sexual expression
• sexual violence or misconduct
• not responding to sexual harm in a trauma-informed way.

We will soon be releasing a Sexual Safety Framework (framework) and resources to help registered providers (providers) and aged care workers (workers) support the sexual safety of older people.

We have designed the framework for providers delivering care in aged care homes. It will also be useful for older people, their supporters and the aged care sector, including providers delivering home and community-based aged care.

Access information for aged care providers - visit Upholding sexual safety in aged care
Access information for older people - visit Sexual safety in aged care

Sexuality, intimacy and ageing

Sexuality is a fundamental part of being human. It can be different for different people and can include intimacy, attraction, identity and sexual expression. For many people, sexuality is important throughout their lives. This includes people with dementia or other changes in thinking and memory.

Sexuality is important to people’s wellbeing, social connections and quality of life. Limiting safe expressions of sexuality can cause distress, loneliness and anxiety. Restricting an older person’s relationships or sexual activity can be a type of sexual harm.

What sexual safety means

Sexual safety means supporting sexual wellbeing and making sure people are free from sexual harm.

Sexual harm includes:

• stopping or restricting safe sexual expression
• sexual violence or misconduct
• not responding to sexual harm in a trauma-informed way.

Sexual wellbeing includes physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing related to sexuality. It includes sexual health, sexual pleasure, sexual expression and sexual rights.

People who receive aged care – in their own home or in an aged care home – have the same sexual rights as everyone else. They have the right to take part in lawful sexual activity. They may stay in, or end, relationships, make new ones, or take part in solo sexual activity. They may change how they express their sexuality and gender in ways that feel right for them.

Worker role and responsibilities

Protecting the sexual rights and safety of older people is a shared responsibility. Workers and providers have a role in providing care that is safe, respectful and supports each person’s rights.

Workers have an important role in preventing sexual harm and responding when a person raises concerns. This includes:

• respecting each person’s privacy, choices and personal boundaries
• supporting safe sexual expression and relationships
• recognising possible signs of sexual harm, trauma or distress
• listening and responding with care when someone raises a concern
• reporting concerns through the right workplace process
• supporting early detection and response to sexual harms
• helping older people get support.

Sexual Safety Framework

We will soon be publishing a Sexual Safety Framework. The Framework will provide a foundation to support older people's sexual rights and safety in residential aged care.

The framework will support workers to uphold these rights by:

• supporting safe and consensual sexual expression
• preventing, detecting and responding to sexual harms.

We have designed the framework for providers delivering care in aged care homes. It will also be useful for older people, their supporters and the aged care sector, including providers delivering home and community-based aged care.

The framework will include key principles and pillars of practice that support older people’s sexual rights and sexual safety. It will help providers develop their own policies, practices and workforce capability to support sexual safety.

The framework will be available on our website and linked from this page. We will share its release through the Quality Bulletin and social media channels when it’s published.

Navigating the challenges: balancing sexual rights and sexual safety in aged care webinar

This webinar explores the complexities providers can face when balancing sexual rights and sexual safety within their services. Panellists discuss how providers might factor consent, fluctuating cognition, family concerns, autonomy, rights and dignity of risk into their decision-making.

Watch the recording Navigating the challenges: balancing sexual rights and sexual safety in aged care.

Resources for protecting sexual safety

We will also be publishing resources to help providers and workers apply the Sexual Safety Framework. Each resource description includes the framework pillars that the resource will support.

Recognising and responding to signs of trauma

This resource will help workers to:

• recognise when an older person's behaviour might be linked to trauma
• respond in ways that don’t cause more harm.

It will support:

• Pillar 3: Recognising and responding to sexual harm
• Pillar 4: Providing person-centred, trauma-informed care

What to do if an older person tells you about a sexual assault

This resource will help workers respond in a timely, trauma-informed way when an older person discloses sexual assault. It will describe:

• the roles and responsibilities of workers and supervisors
• the actions to take, including to connect the older person to support services.

This resource will support:

• Pillar 3: Recognising and responding to sexual harm
• Pillar 4: Providing person-centred, trauma-informed care

Recognising and reporting grooming or predatory behaviour

This resource will help workers to identify grooming or predatory behaviour by a worker, volunteer, contractor or visitor.

The resource will include a fact sheet that explains how to identify grooming or predatory behaviour in aged care. 

This resource will support:

• Pillar 3: Recognising and responding to sexual harm
• Pillar 5: Building open workforce cultures and continuous improvement

Creating an open reporting culture around grooming or predatory behaviour

This resource will help providers create workplaces where workers feel safe to raise their concerns.

The resource will include a checklist of actions providers can take to create open workplaces where workers feel supported to raise concerns.

This resource will support:

• Pillar 3: Recognising and responding to sexual harm
• Pillar 5: Building open workforce cultures and continuous improvement

More resources are coming

We are continuing to develop practical resources to support sexual safety in aged care.

Upcoming resources will cover:

• responding to changed sexual behaviour in older people with cognitive impairment
• sexual rights, consent and decision-making for older people
• safe and respectful personal care.

We will add these and other sexual safety resources to this page as they become available.

More information

• Aged Care Code of Conduct - how providers, workers and governing persons must behave
• Statement of Rights - the rights of older people receiving aged care
• Aged Care Quality Standards - requirements for providing safe, respectful and person-centred care
• The Serious Incident Response Scheme - how to prevent, manage and report serious incidents
• Open disclosure - using open disclosure when something goes wrong
• Worker screening - making sure workers are suitable, screened, skilled, trained
• Ready to listen - supporting providers to better respond to and prevent sexual assault in aged care