FREDA Learning Together Event 2019

Lawrence Badman: Impact on practice and Intersectionality

Contemporary issues in practice

PICTURE THE SCENE…

PICTURE THE SCENE…

Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults

LITERATURE REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW

THE MAIN FINDINGS

Research shows LGBT+ individuals and carers often experience discrimination and marginalisation that impacts on their ability to:

access services and receivethe most appropriate support

THE MAIN FINDINGS

1. Discrimination stops LGBT+ accessing services

2. Discrimination stops LGBT+ from receiving the most appropriate support

INTERSECTIONALITY

Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) – Feminist theory

INTERSECTIONALITY: AN EXAMPLE

INTERSECTIONALITY

Employ black men in the factory

Employ white women in the office

The factory owners are neither racist or sexist

INTERSECTIONALITY

Ethnicity Gender

Oppression

INTERSECTIONALITY

Ethnicity Gender

INTERSECTIONALITY & THE LITERATURE REVIEW

Ethnicity Disability Age

Ethnicity, disability and age are all common intersections with LGBT+

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

LGBT+ people are more likely to experience –

DepressionAnxietySelf-harmSuicide attempts (twice as likely)Drug and alcohol dependency

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

LGBT+ people are more likely to –

Live aloneHave limited contact with familyHave no childrenRely on close friends for support

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

In the NHS up to 25 per cent of patient-facing staff having heard colleagues making homophobic, biphobic or transphobic remarks.

Example of a female doctor who loudly demanded a chaperone before treating a woman who identified as lesbian.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

‘Are you a relative?’ -

Distant relatives are often given more regard than the lover or friend, who is in reality much closer to the person but has no recognised status.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

Experiences of assumed heterosexuality are common and often result in people feeling forced to repeatedlycome out to health and social care staff.

Many LGBT+ people feel that health care providers make assumptions or judgements about their body, identity or relationships.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

‘My partner and I had been together for 25 years when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. When he went into hospital I kept on telling them that I was his partner, but they moved him into residential care without asking me. I phoned up to see how he was and he wasn’t there.’

RESOLVING THE ISSUES AND TAKING ACTION

Some questions to reflect on…

Does our organisation have a contemporary understanding of LGBT+ issues?

Does our organisation support LGBT people to access our service?

Does our organisation help LGBT people to receive the most appropriate support?

RESOLVING THE ISSUES AND TAKING ACTION

Commissioners to assess if their mainstream services

are accessible to and appropriate for LGBT people.

Commissioners should ensure provision of specialist services, to address specific

LGBT health care needs available in their local area.

H&SC staff to have knowledge of local LGBT

services

Forms and IT systems to avoid heteronormativity e.g. binary choice of male/female

Service Provision

RESOLVING THE ISSUES AND TAKING ACTION

Sensitively discuss a person’s needs in relation to gender

and sexual orientation, such as support provided by

friends

Ask for and use the correct name, title and pronouns for

someone who is trans

Open questions such as ‘are you in a relationship?’ (as opposed to ‘do you have a

boyfriend or husband?

Non verbal cues – rainbow pin badge, the provision of

gender neutral toilets

Communicate acceptance

SLIDE TITLE

BLOGSLIDE TITLE

‘Flying the Rainbow Flag in Social Work’ by Lawrence Badman

https://socialcare.blog.gov.uk/2019/05/23/flying-the-rainbow-flag-in-social-work/

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@livewellsouthwest