Category Archives: LGBTQ+

What’s New? LGBTQ+ in Social Work Practice Education, Placements, and the Assessed Supported Year in Employment

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Victoria Grimwood is a Pre-Doctoral Local Authority Fellow at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, King’s College London. (304 words)

Victoria Grimwood

Victoria Grimwood

In the recently published Social work in England: State of the nation 2023 report Social Work England, the regulatory body of social work in England, announced an intention to increase the focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to the development of improved standards in education and training for the profession. As many in social work have observed, the social work profession is more diverse than the general population in England in relation to ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Supporting people who identify as LGBTQ+

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Victoria Grimwood

Victoria Grimwood

Victoria Grimwood is a Pre-Doctoral Local Authority Fellow at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, King’s College London. (448 words)

Skills for Care, the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, has undertaken to support key equality, diversity and inclusion priorities in the social care workforce. The organisation has been reaching out to those seeking equity change to ensure that the workforce is empowered to work alongside all those who draw on services in a person-centred way that focuses on what matters to them, and acknowledges their identities.

On 22 February, during LGBT+ History Month, Skills for Care hosted a well-attended virtual launch of its new learning framework for knowledge, skills and values for working affirmatively with LGBTQ+ people in later life.

The development of the framework was led by Professor Trish Hafford-Letchfield from the University of Strathclyde and Lawrence Roberts, the Pride in Ageing manager for the LGBT Foundation, a national charity delivering advice, support and information services to LGBT communities. Continue reading →

Going into the Care Closet?

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Dr Cat Forward is Research Associate at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, King’s College London. (420 words)

As part of LGBTQ+ History Month, Lambeth Libraries hosted an event organised by Lambeth Links, talking about the issues surrounding the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals in later life. A panel chaired by Robbie de Santos (Stonewall, Director of Communications and External Affairs) shared their experiences of contact with the health and care system.

Ted Brown has been an active member of GLF (Gay Liberation Front) since 1970. He is currently campaigning against LGBTQI+ elder abuse following the experiences of his partner in residential care. He shared the experiences they had following Noel’s diagnosis of dementia and his subsequent interactions with health and social care services. Ted spoke of the advice they were given to ‘de-gay’ their house prior to care staff’s arrival to minimise any potential homophobia, and of the lack of staff awareness of issues relating to LGBTQ+ couples. He is continuing to raise awareness of issues such as these and spoke of wanting to work with local organisations to improve staff training and awareness. Continue reading →