In April 2023, Teesside University and the LGBTQ+ Youth in Care Network launched their new resource, “Pledge of Pride: A Guide for Supporting LGBTQ+ Care Leavers” (link: https://www.lgbtyouthincare.com/leaving-care-with-pride).
This resource is the outcome of the collaborative “Leaving Care With Pride” research project, which also includes a research briefing titled “Exploring the Experiences of LGBTQ+ Care Leavers”.
The project aimed to address the lack of knowledge surrounding the unique challenges faced by UK lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) care leavers, considering factors such as gender, sexual orientation, and care experiences. The research was conducted collaboratively, involving three young researchers with lived experiences as LGBTQ+ individuals who left care in the UK, as well as a fostering engagement manager. Led by senior lecturer Dr. Claire Brown at Teesside University, the team ensured the research questions were carefully crafted and the findings were used to design a toolkit for professionals to enhance services for LGBTQ+ care leavers.
“LGBT rights have never been more important and support for the community is needed, particularly for young people in care and care leavers.”
Jack, Pledge of Pride research team
Understanding the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ care leavers
Although there is a growing knowledge base on the experiences of care leavers and LGBTQ+ people generally, little is known about the specific challenges encountered by young LGBTQ+ people as they prepare to leave care. This marginalised group is likely to face multiple forms of social exclusion (Government Equalities Office, 2018).
Our research indicates that trans young people experience numerous issues related to their gender and sexual identity, both within the care system and during the transition out of care in the UK. While some examples of good practice exist, the provision of effective support for LGBTQ+ care leavers remains inadequate. Professionals report a lack of consistent training, policies, and organisational support to meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ young people preparing to leave care. As a result, there is a notable inconsistency in professionals’ readiness to support LGBTQ+ individuals leaving care. This inconsistency adversely affects crucial aspects of young people’s lives, such as housing, finance, education, emotional well-being, and mental and physical health. Young people often feel ignored, invalidated, and encounter instances of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.
Emerging research suggests that professionals in children’s social work in the UK are failing to adequately meet the needs of trans service users, as documented by Hudson-Sharp (2018) and Brown (2021). Although the UK, along with many other countries, has witnessed significant legal, political, and social transformation in LGBTQ+ rights in recent decades, rights for trans and non-binary individuals have lagged behind.
Our findings indicate that trans and non-binary young people may face an exceptionally high risk of rejection from caregivers, resulting in a lack of support during their transition into adulthood. Without emotional, financial, and practical assistance, these young people are set up to fail in their journey toward independence, potentially lacking adequate access to food, accommodation, and mental health support.
Addressing discrimination and inadequate substitute care
Discriminatory attitudes and interactions have been reported in relation to various professionals, including social workers, foster carers, and residential home staff. This demonstrates the failure of substitute care provisions in providing a sense of belonging and stability to young people who cannot remain with their birth families as they transition into adulthood.
Although “staying put” and “staying close” schemes aim to replicate familial support by maintaining young people’s connections with former carers and residential homes, our findings suggest that these initiatives may be less effective for LGBTQ+ individuals, as they are limited to those who have positive relationships with their caregivers.
How can the Pledge of Pride guide help?
The completely free resource offers recommendations that can be utilised within local services or during pathway planning in the following areas:
- Health
- Education, training, and employment
- Identity and emotional well-being
- Family and social networks
- Money and practical skills
- Housing
It is acknowledged that professionals may lack awareness and understanding of LGBTQ+ specific health issues, such as access to puberty blockers, safe binding practices, name and pronoun changes, and addressing LGBTQ+ phobia in different environments. Even commonplace social care practices, like confidentiality, can be misinterpreted and result in the inappropriate outing of LGBTQ+ individuals without their consent.
“As a transgender, care-experienced person, it feels alienating and horrible to be targeted in the media for simply being myself. Please ensure that you question everything you encounter in the media about us.”
LGBTQ+ care leaver
The resource provides information about existing networks that support LGBTQ+ young people and directs organisations to access training opportunities to enhance their own support for LGBTQ+ individuals. Additionally, the resource includes LGBTQ+ and Trans inclusion statements that organisations can use as a starting point to develop their own local policies. Finally, an LGBTQ+ individual with care experience shares their advice, including strategies for managing personal beliefs that may differ from a young person’s identity.
Blog by Claire, Charlotte, Jack, Zari and Brett
Author biography
Dr Claire Brown (FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader at Teesside University. Claire sits on the Editorial Board for two journals, chairs the TU Social Work Research Network, vice chairs TU’s Gender Focus Group, is a member of the Research and Innovation and Ethics Subcommittees, JUSWA Research Subcommittee and several international EDI groups.
Email: claire.brown@tees.ac.uk
Research profile: https://research.tees.ac.uk/en/persons/claire-brown
You may also be interested in reading about the new Skills for Care learning framework to Deliver Affirmative Care to LGBTQ+ People in Later Life, a guest blog by TransActual on supporting transgender young people, and the SWU statement in support of the transgender and non-binary community.