Young, Queer & Away from Home: LGBTIQ+ identities and creating inclusive services

Develop skills to support LGBTIQ+ children and transform your services

Across Europe, millions of LGBTIQ+ children and young people face rejection, discrimination, and unsafe environments. Many are struggling to access support, and some will go missing when services fail them. This must change.

On this course from Missing Children Europe, IGLYO, and the University of Portsmouth, you’ll explore LGBTIQ+ identities and the barriers young people face. You’ll discover strategies to create safer, more inclusive services across schools, care settings, youth work, and social services.

Grasp LGBTIQ+ identities and the realities young people face

To create truly inclusive services, explore core concepts around gender identity, sexual orientation, and SOGIESC topics. Drawing on research from across Europe, examine the specific barriers LGBTIQ+ youth encounter, from stigma and family rejection to factors that put them at risk of going missing.

With this necessary foundation you’ll be able to recognise what young people need to feel seen, safe, and supported in your work.

Empower your practice and create safer spaces

Focus on action. You’ll learn how to open meaningful conversations with young people exploring their identity and apply trauma-informed practice in everyday work.

Examine how intersectionality and privilege shape every interaction, then develop practical strategies that make services more accessible, protective, and affirming. These are tools you will apply immediately.

Draw on expertise at the forefront of child protection

With decades of combined experience in child protection, social justice, and youth work, Missing Children Europe, IGLYO, and the University of Portsmouth bring unparalleled expertise to protecting vulnerable young people across Europe.

This course is designed for professionals across Europe, including social workers, educators, hotline operators, and law enforcement.r stages can take it.

This course is designed for professionals across Europe, including social workers, educators, hotline operators, and law enforcement.r stages can take it.

• Describe the differences between gender, gender expression, & gender identity.
• Reflect on the social construct of SOGIESC-related topics and issues.
• Facilitate inclusive discussions with young people, including those who may be exploring or questioning their sexuality and/or gender identity.
• Reflect on the role of intersectionality and privilege in the context of identity.
• Demonstrate how it impacts one’s work with LGBTIQ+ children and young people
• Identify the barriers that LGBTIQ+ children and young people face when accessing support
• Explore strategies that can create safer and affirming spaces
• Explore the roots of homelessness for LGBTIQ+ youth
• Describe trauma-informed and intersectional practices that can improve protection for LGBTIQ+ children and young people