People with learning difficulties need an appropriate educational input to help them to develop their personal relationship skills and feelings and they need to know where they stand if restrictions are placed on their behaviour because of their living environment. In the same way, staff need guidelines as well. These guidelines are intended for the use of all staff who work with people with learning difficulties. It is hoped that they will provide sufficient direction for staff to feel confident about responding positively to identified emotional and sexual needs of their clients, and to encourage staff to discuss in a multidisciplinary setting their own thoughts, anxieties, ideas concerning their clients' personal relationships.