Invisible no more? Including lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in social work and social care.

Until recently, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people were invisible users of social care; this paper provides an overview of the social and political context which led to this neglect. With the introduction of legislation in 2007 which prohibited discrimination in service provision and increasingly liberal social attitudes, this previously hidden population is more likely to disclose their sexual orientation to providers and to expect equal treatment in their receipt of services. Furthermore, the new policy agenda for adult social care — the personalisation of services — means that users and carers will have more choice about personally tailored services and control in how they are delivered. Care Matters: Time for Change 2007 has emphasised the importance of education in securing looked after children’s life opportunities and has identified a key role for social care workers in children’s achievement. Yet LGB children continue to face homophobic bullying in schools with the potential risk to their educational attainment and self esteem. These agendas require that service providers know about the issues and concerns of LGB service users and have an understanding about their experiences of care services. This paper identifies a number of good practice initiatives in LGB social care and outlines recommendations for providing appropriate care.