- Conference
- 2006 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 1 February 2006
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the continued prevalence of bi-, homo- and trans-phobic bullying among children and young people and the continued absence, largely, of a positive image of Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexuals and Trans (LGBT) people from children’s and young people’s services.
Conference believes that all schools, playgrounds, youth clubs, children’s homes etc. should be safe and supportive places for all, including LGBT children and young people, children and young people with LGBT parents, and those who do not wish to conform to a conventional masculine or feminine stereotype.
Conference welcomes the acknowledgement by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in England that school’s valuing and motivating all pupils is integral to raising achievement. We welcome DfES support for LGBT History Month in February, and the work undertaken by Schools Out and Education for All, towards ensuring that – after the repeal of Section 28/Section 2A – pupils can try to take pride whilst at school.
However, Conference notes there are mixed messages from the DfES and elsewhere in the United Kingdom government, for example the green papers “Every Child Matters” and “Youth Matters” do not make any reference to sexual orientation or gender identity. Conference considers that mixed messages and the absence of guidance that specifically addresses LGBT issues leave many strategic and operational managers uncertain what is required so they, in turn, seldom offer guidance or training to frontline workers.
Conference welcomes the resolution of this year’s TUC LGBT Conference to urge the DfES to commission further research on the needs of LGBT children and young people and to lead a dialogue to promote real change in schools. Conference, however, regrets the omission from the resolution of reference to children’s and young people’s services other than schools.
It notes that, in England, local authorities and other key partners have a duty under the Children Act 2004 to cooperate to promote the well-being of children and young people and that well-being has a legal definition based on the five Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes – being healthy; staying safe; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution; and achieving economic well-being. It further notes that one of the 25 specific aims in the ECM outcomes framework is for children and young people to be safe from bullying and discrimination.
Conference believes that the ECM “Change for Children” programme for the development and operation of children’s and young people’s services, and the equivalent programmes in Scotland (For Scotland’s Children) and Wales (Children First) and in Northern Ireland (Children First), should incorporate specific guidance on addressing LGBT issues.
Besides a more wholehearted political lead, conference considers that promoting change and the achievement of better outcomes for children and young people will depend, crucially, on a more systematic approach to training across the whole of the children’s services workforce so it is:
1)More widely available and easily accessible;
2)Of better quality and more rigorously evaluated; and,
3)Available to – better, required of – employers, managers and frontline workers alike.
Conference instructs the Service Group Executive, working in conjunction with the National LGBT Committee and the Health Service Group as appropriate, to:
a)Raise these issues with the DfES, the Local Government Association, the Children’s Workforce Development Council, and other bodies relating to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as appropriate;
b)Support the call for the DfES to commission further research but urge that this cover the whole of children’s and young people’s services, not just schools;
c)Explore how the objectives above can be integrated into UNISON’s bargaining agendas;
d)Conduct a survey of how local authorities’ Children’s and Young People’s Services Departments are training managers and workers to deliver work on LGBT issues; and,
e)Seek and disseminate examples of good practice and information about training resources.