Unions Equity and BECTU have published intimacy guidelines for students and staff in higher education.
The guidelines are designed to address issues arising from sexual misconduct and also wider concerns that feed into mental health problems that students face.
Titled the Higher Education Intimacy Coordination and Direction Guidelines, these focus on the practices of higher education institutions following the #MeToo movement.
One of the co-authors of the guidelines called it an ‘invaluable framework’ showing higher education institutions (HEIs) and their students how to tackle scenes with intimate content so that graduates can feel well prepared for the industry.
In its introduction the document urges HEIs to hire intimacy practitioners to provide training in setting boundaries, understanding consent and setting agreements for touch. It mentions that in higher education specifically there are power dynamics that can affect consent and student engagement.
‘I hope this guidance helps and that the collaborations further elevate the standards of safety and accountability in the creative industries in the future’, said co-author of the guidelines, intimacy practitioner and senior lecturer Pia Rickman.
Robbie Taylor-Hunt, co-author of the guidelines and intimacy practitioner, added: ‘Student actors and teaching staff want to approach intimate scenes in the right way, but this is a new and evolving practice so it can be difficult for them to know what is best.’