Care system fails to meet needs of LGBTQ+ young people, research warns
Emily Harle
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
LGBTQ+ young people report significant health, mental health and well-being inequalities while living in foster and residential care, compared with their non-LGBTQ+ peers, a study finds.
Experts from the University of Birmingham have found that the children's social care system in England needs to improve how it cares for LGBTQ+ young people in residential and foster care placements, to reduce health and well-being inequalities.
These inequalities include discrimination from social care professionals, as well as more frequent care placement moves compared to non-LGBTQ+ young people.
The study, funded by What Works for Children’s Social Care, is the first of its kind to focus solely on LGBTQ+ young people in care.
The project involved research on existing literature and studies involving care-experienced LGBTQ+ young people. Care-experienced participants were asked questions which were co-produced by researchers and a young advisors group, who identified as LGBTQ+ and had lived experiences of England’s care system.
Dr Jason Schaub, research lead, said: “Our research showed that LGBTQ+ young people in care experience discrimination and rejection because of their LGBTQ+ status.
“The system does not care for these young people effectively which can cause harm to their mental and physical wellbeing.”
The study also found specific groups of LGBTQ+ young people faced higher levels of discrimination and victimisation, including trans and non-binary young people, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, and lesbian and bisexual girls.
Schaub said these groups of young people had higher levels of mental health problems after leaving care, such as depression and anxiety.
They were also more likely to experience trauma, substance use, and be hospitalised for emotional or physical health reasons.
It was found that many social workers do not feel confident or knowledgeable enough to support LGBTQ+ young people in care, particularly those who identify as transgender or non-binary.
Schaub said: “A significant concern from our study is that this population is nearly invisible in our social care system. There is very little research on LGBTQ+ specific policies and a significant lack of education on best practices to support these young people.
“Because of their often-challenging family situations, social care can be an important lifeline for many LGBTQ+ young people. Social workers and professionals in social care should be trained and empowered to provide the care and affirmation needed by these young people.
“Mandatory and comprehensive training is urgently needed to equip social care workers to better support LGBTQ+ young people. Our hope is that this study will kick-start a conversation within policy development so that the system does its best for all of those in its care.”
The research project produced a number of urgent recommendations for the social care system, including forbidding discrimination of LGBTQ+ young people and training to help social workers provide tailored support to this community.
The study is now in its final phase, and researchers have recruited children’s social workers to participate in a controlled trial, to test the effectiveness of a digital LGBTQ+ training package for social care workers.
