#LookCloser: Safeguarding Transgender Young People from Exploitation
#LookCloser: Safeguarding Transgender Young People from Exploitation
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This session will explore how barriers in society, including discrimination, can lead to us failing to protect transgender (trans) and non binary young people from exploitation and harm, and what we can do to overcome these in our practice and in our systems.
Based on both existing literature and our own learning from consulting with various LGBTQ+ organisations, it is clear that gender identity is fundamental to children and young people’s lives, but that sadly trans young people in our society today still face systemic discrimination and disadvantage, demonstrated by the high rates of homelessness which trans young people experience. Discrimination against the trans community creates opportunities for perpetrators to exploit transgender young people, as they can prey on isolation, low self-esteem and offer access to gender affirmation.
In this session, we will explore the risks which trans young people are facing in 2024 and share the views and experiences of professionals who specialise in working with these young people. We will examine the specific risks trans young people face and how building more inclusive services will better protect them from harm. We are grateful to have had the support of trans specialist charity Gendered Intelligence in developing this session.
This session for professionals aims to:
- Support professionals to understand trans identities and how to respect these in their work with children and young people
- Explore the specific challenges faced by trans children due to discrimination, disadvantage and other systemic failings, and how these may lead to heightened risk of exploitation.
- Consider trans inclusive approaches to identifying, assessing, and supporting children and young people
- Demonstrate the value of a person-centred, holistic and inclusive approach to understanding and responding to exploitation and abuse.
Please note, that although we value the importance of a safe and non-judgemental learning space, The Prevention Programme and The Children’s Society as a whole are committed to anti-oppressive practice and will not tolerate any intentional transphobia during this learning session.
This session will be hosted on Microsoft Teams Live which means:
- You will not be able to engage with the presenters such as in a typical virtual meeting.
- There will be a Q&A function and we will use external systems such as Menti to engage with the audience.
This session is to upskill you in the topic area and allow you points to reflect on this learning in your context. The audience is expected to be varied and so has been written to reach many different levels of expertise across many different sectors.
You may want to read some of our resources prior to attending our sessions to foreground your knowledge of child exploitation.