Social Workers as Allies? Gender Confirming Practices and Institutional Limitations in Youth Residential Homes

Abstract

Previous research shows that LGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in out-of-home care and that especially transgender and non-binary youth face challenges during their placement. These challenges stem from, among other factors, the lack of knowledge and competence of professionals regarding the unique needs of transgender and non-binary youth. In Sweden, there are policies that aim to protect transgender and non-binary youth from discrimination and to promote their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and an increasing number of residential homes claim to have LGBTQ competence when competing for placements. However, it is unclear how this affects the everyday experiences of trans and non-binary youth at residential homes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the practices and challenges of clinical social workers at residential care homes when working with gender identity and sexual health issues among young transgender and non-binary youth. Eight semi-structured interviews focusing on professionals’ knowledge and experiences were conducted and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: i) Knowledge being a personal matter; ii) Heteronormativity and binarity creating consequences; iii) Handling discrimination and harassments; and iv) Creating a trustful alliance. The results show that knowledge is a personal matter, and social work professionals seek the knowledge they need instead of receiving it in education or training. The contextual heteronormativity and binarity creating consequences at the residential care home pose challenges for social workers and they have to find creative ways to support transgender and non-binary youth and address the harassments and discrimination that these youth face. Moreover, the social workers share their strategies regarding how they are creating a trustful alliance. Overall, they identify significant challenges to developing clinical social work that is affirming of transgender and non-binary youth.