Positive Steps . . . . ‘Inclusion in Action’ TRANS YOUTH WREXHAM Supporting young trans people in Wrexham Catherine Reynolds, Youth & Community Development Worker Kate Hutchinson, Director of Training, Wipe Out Transphobia

Background to the Project Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Background to the Project Informed by Pan-North Wales Homophobic & Transphobic Bullying Conference 2014; Transgender Guidance for Wrexham Schools 9/15 Successful bid to Public Health Wales 2015 by West Rhyl Young People’s Project, supported and hosted by Wrexham CBC; Special Interest Advisory Group; New youth worker provision; Strengths, qualities and attributes of YP, Parents, Teachers, Support Services;

Ofsted Groups of learners Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Ofsted Groups of learners Inspection is primarily about evaluating how well individual children and learners benefit from the education provided by the school or provider. Inspection tests the school’s or provider’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all children and learners to make progress and fulfil their potential. In making judgements, inspectors will pay particular attention to the outcomes for the following groups:

Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam The Equality Act (2010) Inspectors will assess the extent to which the school or provider complies with relevant legal duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998, promotes equality of opportunity and takes positive steps to prevent any form of discrimination, either direct or indirect, against those with protected characteristics in all aspects of their work.

Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Go to the evidence . . . A school of 1,000 pupils should expect around 10 to be gender variant, to some degree (Gires) In Wales there is no consistent support for transgender people available from Local Education Authorities, individual schools, or staff within schools, very often resulting in needs going unmet (LGBT Excellence Centre, 2012) More children and young people are gender questiong from an earlier age (Millar, N. 2014, Wrexham). The Tavistock and Portman Clinic in London, from across the UK, says 441 young people came to them for assessment in 2013/14.That's compared to 91 in 2009/2010

Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Risk & Resilience A survey found that 48% of trans people under 26 said they had attempted suicide, and 30% said they had done so in the past year, while 59% said they had at least considered doing so. By comparison, about 6% of all 16- to 24-year-olds say they have attempted suicide, according to the Adult Psychiatry Morbidity Survey. The national Gender Identity Development Service reduces risk of suicide to between 1% and 2% (Di Ceglie et al 2002) cited by NHS England (2013) Pace, a mental health charity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, in partnership with Brunel University, the University of Worcester, and London South Bank University.

Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Ottawa Charter The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 1986) defined five key health promotion strategies: building healthy public policy creating supportive environments strengthening community action developing personal skills reorienting services toward promotion, prevention and early intervention. What are the goals of mental health promotion? 1. To increase resilience and protective factors Mental health promotion aims to strengthen the ability of individuals, families and communities to cope with stressful events that happen in their everyday lives, by: increasing an individual’s or community’s resilience increasing coping skills improving quality of life and feelings of satisfaction increasing self-esteem increasing sense of well-being strengthening social supports strengthening the balance of physical, social, emotional, spiritual and psychological health. 2. To decrease risk factors Mental health promotion aims to reduce the factors that place individuals, families and communities at risk of diminishing mental health, by reducing or eliminating: anxiety depression stress and distress sense of helplessness sexual abuse family conflict problem substance use suicide violence. 3. To reduce inequities Mental health promotion aims to reduce inequities and their consequent effects on mental health. Inequities are often based on: gender poverty physical or mental disability employment status race ethnic background geographic location. Reduce inequities by: implementing diversity policies. providing diversity training. creating transitional programs. promoting anti-stigma interventions/campaigns.

Needs Pyramid for gender variant students Wrexam Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Needs Pyramid for gender variant students Gender-variant students Primary care Families Wider community School

5 R’s Rights Responsibilties Readiness Responding Reacting Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam 5 R’s Rights Responsibilties Readiness Responding Reacting

Making it happen . . . The process of implementation Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Making it happen . . . The process of implementation Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam

Putting a pathway in place Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Putting a pathway in place Vertical & Horizontal Integration HOS Schools YS Primary Care Vol Sector CAMHS Practitioner

Key Messages A journey Rights-focused Needs-led Earlier intervention Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Key Messages A journey Rights-focused Needs-led Earlier intervention Feeling good & Functioning well

Thank you Catherine Reynolds Viva West Rhyl Young People’s Centre Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Thank you Catherine Reynolds Viva West Rhyl Young People’s Centre creynoldsviva@gmail.com 07421991335 01745 357943 Kate Hutchinson Wipe Out Transphobia Kate.h@wipeouttransphobia.com 07514 580667 01978 753285

Developing Personal Skills Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Developing Personal Skills Provide one to one support and outreach for gender variant young people and children of trans parents; Provide opportunities for young people to develop a positive sense of their identity and the personal skills to flourish; Mental health promotion emphasizes two key concepts: power and resilience. Power is defined as a person’s, group’s or community’s sense of control over life and the ability to be resilient (Joubert & Raeburn, 1998). Building on one’s existing capacities can increase power and control. Resilience has been defined as “the ability to manage or cope with significant adversity or stress in ways that are not only effective, but may result in an increased ability to respond to future adversity” (Health Canada).

Creating Supportive Environments Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Creating Supportive Environments Building on schools’ current provision to address homophobic and transphobic bullying by strengthening school’s policy and practice; Providing advice on curriculum development, pastoral care and whole school development to support trans student’s wellbeing Schools should consult pupils, parents, and others, to identify the extent and nature of bullying in the school and to agree the contents of strategic equality plans; raise awareness of bullying on the grounds of protected characteristics with pupils, parents, staff, and governors and take a more proactive approach to preventing and mitigating its effects; plan age-appropriate opportunities in the curriculum to discuss issues related to the protected characteristics and to build pupils’ resilience to bullying; ensure staff have a clear understanding of the extent and nature of bullying that may take place in school, including cyberbullying, make sure that staff know how to deal with and record incidents of bullying; record and monitor incidents of bullying in relation to the protected characteristics and use this information to review strategic equality objectives; Action on bullying : A review of the effectiveness of action taken by schools to address bullying on the grounds of pupils’ protected characteristics. Estyn, 2014

Strengthening Community Action Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Strengthening Community Action Building social assets and local networks to support gender variant young people and their families; Enabling the development of knowledgeable and confident community leaders to support service scrutiny and renewal - Wrexham/Rhyl Parents Group.

Reorienting services – promotion, prevention & earlier intervention Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Reorienting services – promotion, prevention & earlier intervention Efficiently utilising service capacity through the development of a support pathway for gender variant young people and their families – ‘The Journey’. Supporting young people to access a range of health and community services that will promote their wellbeing and sense of identity. To assess and treat young people who have a GID, improving their quality of life, social inclusion, mental and emotional health and reducing self-harm and suicide and inappropriate treatments accessed by young people. To raise awareness of the issues associated with GID in children and young people, in order to promote understanding in wider health, social care and educational establishments, and thereby promote a more informed and effective response in terms of speed and appropriateness of referral, assessment and treatment (where appropriate). To support the development of children and adolescents (and their families) in a positive self-affirming environment where there is appropriate support for informed choice for young people through transition to adult services at the age of 18 years old. The national Gender Identity Development Service reduces risk of suicide to between 1% and 2% (Di Ceglie et al 2002) cited by NHS England (2013)

Building Healthy Public Policy Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Building Healthy Public Policy Publishing and implementing Wrexham Transgender Guidance for schools Acknowledging the significance of this project and it's contribution to the local Strategic Equality Plan; Engaging in Welsh Government consultation on the experiences of trans people to inform and shape national policy

Nef’s Dynamic Model of Wellbeing Wrexham Trans Youth Support Project Prosiect Cefnogaeth Ieuenctid Traws Wrecsam Nef’s Dynamic Model of Wellbeing http://www.neweconomics.org