Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students on social work courses in Higher Education often feel marginalised because of their sexuality, according to a study from Goldsmiths, University of London.

Most students interviewed reported that LGB issues were sometimes not dealt with in an appropriate manner, and as a result felt that heterosexuality was assumed and heterosexual issues privileged on their courses. The research indicates that this may be as a result of a lack of data gathered by the Higher Education institutions (HEI) around the recruitment, progression or achievement of LGB students.

Social work programmes have not been required to record students’ sexual orientation for the General Social Care Council (GSCC), unlike other categories of identity such as ethnicity, age, gender and disability status.

Anna Fairtlough, one of the chief researchers, said: “What is most telling from this research is that there is a real lack of understanding when it comes to LGB students on social work programmes. Because there is no data, and limited research has been undertaken, it is not all that surprising to hear that LGB students are left marginalised.”

To tackle this, the researchers have developed a toolkit to successfully enable HEIs to promote LGB equality on social work programmes.

Anna Fairtlough continues: “Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations are not only required to try and prevent discrimination, but also to take active steps to advance the equality of people who share protected characteristics – and this includes LGB students.

“We have developed this auditing toolkit, to enable HEIs to identify where they sit in terms of their attitudes to LGB students, and also help them build on and improve their existing practice.”

As part of the auditing tool, the researchers have recognised three different levels of response to LGB students:

• The heterosexist/homophobic level: ignoring homophobic actions or attitudes; inhibiting LGB students from ‘coming out’; or failing to address LGB equality issues in the academic practice
• The anti-discriminatory level: committed in a general way to promoting equalities but give little attention to the equality area in relation to the curriculum or student experience
• The anti-heterosexist level: actively promotes equalities; provides strategic leadership; consults with LGB students, staff and service users and carers; understand the complexities of LGB experiences and manifestations of homophobia and heterosexism; have confident, skilled staff able to deliver anti-heterosexist social work practice and education.

The toolkit goes through a series of questions to help the HEI understand what level they sit on, and then determines actions and priorities for the university, staff and students to improve on their LGB equality on social work programmes.

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If you are interested in LGBT issues you might like to listen to the following podcasts here at Pod Academy:

• Don’t say gay – Cambridge university students look at how children might be introduced to alternative sexualities
• Gay male identity – Andrew Cooper and Jeffrey Weeks discuss  how gay male identity is changing in a fast changing world.