AASW Webinar Recording | Queer in the Classroom: Promoting inclusivity and well-being for LGBTIQA+ students

Member price: $90.00 including GST (member price will display once logged in)

Non-member price: $180.00 including GST

In a recent survey by La Trobe University, where 6418 LGBTIQA+ young people were interviewed, more than 60% of high school participants said that they felt unsafe or uncomfortable at school and reported frequently hearing negative remarks due to their gender identity. (Writing Themselves In, 2021).

In another survey of 2,376 LGBTIQA+ high school students aged between 13 and 18 at various government, Catholic, and independent secondary schools across Australia, almost 30% said they had either witnessed or been the victims of physical harassment (Western Sydney University, 2021). What this data sadly proves is that there are many LGBTIQA+ young people in Australia who are still experiencing discrimination, harassment, and hostility in their school environments.

A lack of belonging, coupled with poor health and social outcomes faced by queer young people due to structural and relational queerphobia, means that social workers and other practitioners who practice in a school setting will often be working with LGBTIQA+ people.

This webinar draws on the growing body of data around LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing and will apply a Critically Reflective, Queer Social Work, and Public Health theoretical approach. Participants will engage in information and activities about the experience of LGBTIQA+ people in school settings.

After discussing and exploring the data on queer student experiences, participants will then have an opportunity to synthesise this knowledge with their experiences to build on their practice using well placed questions and a case study.

Note: We acknowledge that the word queer has a complicated history. While it has been reclaimed and reappropriated as a positive term of identity by many members of the LGBTIQA+ community, it has not been universally accepted by everyone. In this webinar, the word queer is used with the utmost respect, as an inclusive term that embraces the diverse range of identities and experiences within the LGBTIQA+ community.

"This training was great, engaging and informative" – webinar participant, December 2021.

"Brilliant! Such an important topic" – webinar participant, December 2021.

Who should register? Social Workers, Teachers, Welfare and Support Worker Staff, Chaplains and any other practitioners working with LGBTIQA+ school students.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

• Define the differences between sexuality, gender, and sex, including queer identities
• Identify key contributors to mental ill-health and suicidality for LGBTIQA+ school students (in the school and home)
• Develop strategies to promote mental health, create a safe environment, and support parents of LGBTIQA+ school students
• Develop a best practice approach to working with LGBTIQA+ school students

AASW Credentials: Mental Health; School