One minute guide: Working with trans young people

What we mean by trans and how services should work with trans young people

Trans is an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth. Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) trans, non-binary, gender queer, gender non-conforming. Trans people are part of the LGBT+ community which includes lesbian, gay and bi young people. There are separate one minute guides for lesbian and gay and for bi young people.

Many trans young people are aware of their gender identity from a young age, though they may not have shared this with anybody. Any of the young people you are working with may identify as trans therefore you should not make assumptions about any young person’s gender identity.

All young people want places to go and things to do in a safe environment where they feel valued, accepted and included. Children and Families Services have a moral duty to provide such environments for all young people, including trans young people. The Equality Act 2010 made gender reassignment a protected characteristic, which means that any service, whether publicly funded or not, cannot lawfully discriminate against trans people. In addition, the Act introduced the public sector Equality Duty, which means that services have to consider how they can address inequalities experienced by trans people.

‘Coming out’

The process of trans people telling others about their sexuality is often referred to as ‘coming out’. Coming out to somebody can be very stressful, as young people may fear rejection or discrimination. For this reason, young people will often tell someone they trust and have confidence in. If a young person comes out to you, they may simply want someone to talk to about what can be a confusing and scary time for them, or they may want support in accessing further information, some of which is available through this guide.

It is important not to share information about a young person’s gender identity with other family members, young people or practitioners without the young person’s consent. Doing so without their consent is called ‘outing’ and can be very harmful to young people. Sharing personal or sensitive information about someone without their consent could be a breach of their rights under data protection legislation. This should only be considered in exceptional circumstances, which should be discussed with your line manager and/ or safeguarding lead.

Barriers or challenges trans young people might face

There is a limited amount of research available about the specific barriers faced by trans young people, compared to LGB/ LGBT groups as a whole. Research by Stonewall suggests that there is a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties and higher levels of discrimination against trans young people than LGB, heterosexual and non-trans young people. 

In 2018, the Department for Education published a document and a series of case studies on approaches to preventing and tackling bullying, which includes a section on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

What is available for trans young people locally and nationally

Local

Leeds has a youth group for trans young people aged 13 - 18, ‘Transtastic’. The group meets regularly and offers a safe space for trans young people to socialise and access 1-1 confidential support. You can contact the Youth Service on 0113 378 6840 or email youth.service@leeds.gov.uk to request a leaflet, a referral pack or a call back. Young people can contact this group directly, they do not need to be referred by a practitioner.

The Leeds School Wellbeing Service has a number of resources.

Some trans young people may want to access specialist support. The NHS runs a Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) which young people can be referred to for support in terms of medical care. It is not possible for young people to self-refer to this service. It should be noted that while some trans young people will be keen to explore medical care in relation to their gender identity, this is not the case for all trans young people and so it is not appropriate to make assumptions.

National

A wide range of resources and sources of support are available, for example: 

Stonewall, the national LGBT charity.

Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence are both charities which provide support for trans young people Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) is a UK-wide organisation that works to improve the lives of trans and gender diverse people of all ages. Galop, for LGBT people experiencing hate crime, sexual violence or domestic abuse Albert Kennedy Trust for LGBT young people who are, or who are at risk of becoming, homeless.

Printable version