Invisible no more? Including lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in social work and social care.
Date
2009
Authors
Fish, Julie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
1742-4909
0950-3153
0950-3153
Volume Title
Publisher
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
Until recently, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people were invisible users of social
care; this paper provides an overview of the social and political context which led
to this neglect. With the introduction of legislation in 2007 which prohibited
discrimination in service provision and increasingly liberal social attitudes, this
previously hidden population is more likely to disclose their sexual orientation
to providers and to expect equal treatment in their receipt of services.
Furthermore, the new policy agenda for adult social care — the personalisation
of services — means that users and carers will have more choice about personally
tailored services and control in how they are delivered. Care Matters: Time for
Change 2007 has emphasised the importance of education in securing looked after
children’s life opportunities and has identified a key role for social care workers in
children’s achievement. Yet LGB children continue to face homophobic bullying in
schools with the potential risk to their educational attainment and self esteem.
These agendas require that service providers know about the issues and concerns
of LGB service users and have an understanding about their experiences of care
services. This paper identifies a number of good practice initiatives in LGB social
care and outlines recommendations for providing appropriate care.
Description
Keywords
improving services, sexual orientation, policy, personalisation
Citation
Fish, J. (2009) Invisible no more? Including Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Trans People in Social Work and Social Care. Practice: Social Work in Action, 21 (1) pp. 48-63.
Research Institute
Institute of Health, Health Policy and Social Care