LGBTQIA+ Policy Statement 2020

This LGBTQIA+ policy has been created to ensure that all members of PTUK staff and registrants behave in a way that respects the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people to enable LGBTQIA+ people to live full and equal lives.

Core Values that underpin the statement:

• Inclusiveness: PTUK advocates for a world that embraces diversity and promotes an integrated and supportive society.
• Equality: PTUK celebrates difference and support equal opportunity for LGBTQIA+ people that enables them to achieve their potential.
• Rights: PTUK promotes the right to be LGBTQIA+ people in a safe environment that is free from negativity and supports freedom of expression.
• Empowerment: PTUK fosters an environment where LGBTQIA+ people are supported and encouraged to co-produce and partner on initiatives.
• Respect: PTUK treats all LGBTQIA+ people with respect by being considerate of people’s differences and choices.
• Positivity: PTUK promotes the collective expression of success among the LGBTQIA+ + community.
• Acceptance: PTUK encourages all LGBTQIA+ people to express themselves openly and promote the recognition of people’s preferences (e.g. pronouns) so that they know they will be accepted in this safe and inclusive and environment.

This policy does not tolerate negative attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ people and advocates the correction of misunderstandings of LGBTQIA+ identities. It furthermore acknowledges that all sections of society have a role to play including Government, State Agencies, health and social sevices, schools, LGBTQIA+ organisations, local communities, families, individual citizens and LGBTQIA+ people themselves. This policy promotes the acceptance of one’s LGBTQIA+ identity and supports a person’s personal growth in the face of having to overcome challenges in order to achieve this stage of identity acceptance.

PTUK seeks to foster inclusive policies that recognise difference and diversity in order to help LGBTQIA+ people and other minorities to feel confident that they are welcome, included and respected, and that any related concerns they might have will be addressed. Such inclusive policies are the basis of a positive organisational climate and culture that is welcoming, supportive and encouraging of all staff, registrants and service users.

PTUK seeks to ‘proof’ all existing key policies so that difference and diversity is acknowledged within the organisation and to ensure that these policies are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ people and other minorities.

PTUK is very aware that family forms have changed considerably in the past few decades. In addition to the more common family unit of mother, father and children, PTUK acknowledges and respects different forms of family including:

• One parent families (either mother or father)
• Trans-generational families (one or two grandparents as the main care givers)
• Step-family arrangements (sometimes known as ‘blended families’)
• Foster families
• Two parents/guardians of the same-sex
• Siblings from different families (as in the case of ‘blended families’)
• Families where parents/guardians live apart
• Young people in care
• Children with adoptive parents/ guardians.

PTUK is committed to the provision of capacity building measures among its staff and registrants to improve their understanding of and ability to engage with LGBTQIA+ people. One of the key objectives of these measures is to ensure that the LGBTQIA+ policy is clearly understood and implemented across all sectors of the organisation. Positive outcomes are likely to result in an improved understanding of, and effective responses to the mental and physical health needs of LGBTQIA+ people. All members of staff are encouraged to play an important role in supporting the implementation of this policy and promoting a positive organisational climate and culture that is welcoming of difference and diversity.

Registrants are advised to prepare a professional development plan annually taking into account that clinical practice involves working with complex relationships requiring different types of professional knowledge, attitudes and dispositions.

PTUK furthermore aims to enhance the quality of LGBTQIA+ data and encourages evidence based research to inform policy and service delivery among its registrants.