Disability, relationships and family carer support

Disability and relationships can bring questions about friendship, intimacy, parenting and the people who support you day to day. Family carers may also need support with their own role. Each person brings different preferences, boundaries and hopes to those conversations, and deserves to be heard.

The articles in this collection explore relationships, family and carer life. They include perspectives on sexuality, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, communication and advocating for someone you care about. Personal accounts offer a way into topics that can be difficult to raise, without suggesting that everyone will experience them in the same way.

For participants, useful questions might include how to make space for privacy, communicate a boundary or ask for support with a sensitive conversation. You decide what you want to share and with whom. A trusted person can help you find information or prepare what you want to say.

Families and carers may be balancing concern, responsibility and changing relationships. Listening to the person's wishes is a good starting point. Discuss how assistance can support their choices, and notice when your own expectations may be shaping the conversation. There can also be value in seeking support for your own role and wellbeing.

Providers and workers should consider how daily practices affect privacy, consent and inclusion. Ask how a person wants important people involved, rather than assuming a family member will speak for them. Make room for different relationships, identities and family arrangements.

NDIS supports may have a place in meeting eligible disability-related needs, but relationships and family life are broader than a funding plan. Community organisations, health professionals and trusted networks can offer other forms of help.

Browse these stories and guides for a perspective that resonates or a question you want to explore further. The aim is to make conversations more open and respectful, with the person's own voice at the centre.