SCIE media releases 2010
New films for Social Care TV
20 January 2010
Working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people (LGBT) to provide social care.
Because of the high turnover of staff, you have to come out to new people all the time. The potential of getting a negative reaction is huge. These people are responsible for so many of your everyday tasks.
Doug, who lives in residential care in Yorkshire.
A new set of films released today point social care workers and managers in the direction of good practice when providing social care for LGBT people.
There are at least 600,000 LGBT people living with a disability in the UK today. For people like Doug, there can be a number of challenges, compounded by the way that people respond to his sexuality. For instance, Doug feels that one residential home he lived in could have been more helpful in supporting him to have a social life, including being involved with the gay scene. Doug wants access to direct payments so that the staff he employs are “OK with gay people”.
The films will be launched today at ‘Milestones for equality and diversity’ at Riverbank Plaza, Albert Embankment, London. Social Care TV is run by SCIE.
SCIE’s Director of Adult Services, David Walden says:
The aim of these new films is to stimulate debate and discussion in order to encourage improved practice. We’re seeking the increased use of personalised services to be made available to all people who need social care and support. The films highlight the ways in which LGBT people, staff, managers and carers can receive quality care so that good practice is as widespread as possible.
Along with Doug’s story, there are four other films released today:
- Older people and residential care: addressing Roger’s former partner’s dementia
- LGBT people and mental health. Alison’s story
- Gender dysphoria. How Nick liaised with adoption services
- Learning disability and addressing sexuality – Richard’s story
Forty-five per cent of lesbian, gay and bisexual people using social care services say that they had faced discrimination from social care services. However only nine per cent of service providers said that they had carried out some specific work to promote equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.(1)
Age of Diversity founder Lindsay River says:
When LGBT people go into a care home they can worry that people and staff will be prejudiced and badly informed. It’s easy to lose control because they can worry that residents may be anti-gay or anti-trans, or that staff will be badly trained or they will discriminate against them.
Media contact
Steve Palmer | Press and Public Affairs Manager | T: 020 7024 7733 | M: 07739 458 192 | Email: media@scie.org.uk
Notes
- Social Care TV programmes bring real world examples to social care staff, managers, commissioners and trainers. This is the first time that social care has had its own TV service. Films are ‘on demand’ so they can be watched in the workplace, the training room or at home. But there aren’t just films; each web page also includes lots of guidance and advice, multimedia and e-learning resources. Social Care TV can be used as a training and learning tool; it aims to understand the needs of people who use services, by presenting real life stories and linking these to easy-to-use resources, giving staff a better understanding of good practice. SCIE is sure that the films will be of great value to the social care workforce for years to come.
- CSCI report
- The Department of Health have recognised that LGBT people are at higher risk of developing mental health problems due to experiences of discrimination (Department of Health 2007) and a National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) review of the evidence showed that ‘An awareness of the mental health needs of LGB people should become a standard part of training for health and social work professionals’ (NIMHE 2007 p3. Department of Health (2007) NHS Briefing 9: Mental health issues within lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) communities London: Department of Health NIMHE (2007) Mental disorders, suicide and deliberate self-harm in lesbian, gay and bisexual people London: NIMHE
