This LGBTQ+ Young People Awareness and Support course is designed for frontline practitioners who work with children and young people and want to provide respectful, inclusive and person-centred support. It explores how sexual orientation and gender identity may form part of a young person’s experience while keeping the focus on their individual needs, safety, wellbeing and circumstances.
This free course covers inclusive terminology, identity development, coming out, discrimination, homelessness, intersectionality, wellbeing, safeguarding, confidentiality, ethical boundaries, communication, referrals, information sharing and multi-agency working. It also considers current England-focused safeguarding and equality guidance and practical support resources.
Why Take This eLearning Course?
Frontline practitioners may support LGBTQ+ young people across education, youth services, social care, health, housing and community settings. Understanding how to communicate respectfully, recognise potential risks and respond within professional boundaries can help practitioners provide appropriate support without making assumptions about a young person’s identity or experiences.
This course will help you to:
- Communicate with LGBTQ+ young people using respectful and inclusive language.
- Respond appropriately when a young person discusses identity or comes out.
- Recognise the difference between LGBTQ+ identity and concerns arising from discrimination, rejection or harm.
- Identify signs of distress, bullying, abuse and other safeguarding concerns.
- Understand how housing insecurity and family rejection may affect some young people.
- Protect privacy while recognising when safeguarding information needs to be shared.
- Maintain appropriate ethical and professional boundaries during identity exploration.
- Make accurate, relevant and respectful records.
- Recognise when additional support, referral or safeguarding escalation is required.
- Work more effectively with other professionals and support services.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define key LGBTQ+ terminology and explain the importance of inclusive language.
- Describe identity development, coming out and different experiences of acceptance or rejection.
- Explain how intersectionality can shape an individual young person’s circumstances.
- Identify signs of poor wellbeing and potential safeguarding concerns.
- Describe protective factors that can support safety, wellbeing and participation.
- Explain confidentiality, privacy and the limits of confidentiality.
- Demonstrate appropriate responses to disclosures and identity-related conversations.
- Identify circumstances requiring safeguarding escalation or additional professional support.
- Explain how to record and share relevant safeguarding information appropriately.
- Identify appropriate professional, organisational and specialist support routes.
LGBTQ+ Young People Awareness and Support Course Outline
The course is organised into eight modules, progressing from essential LGBTQ+ awareness and young people’s experiences through safeguarding, professional responsibilities, communication, referral, recording and current guidance.
Module 1: Understanding LGBTQ+ Identity and Inclusive Practice
Learners will explore key terms relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, including LGBTQ+, trans, cisgender, non-binary and questioning. The module explains identity development and coming out as individual experiences without a fixed timetable or required outcome. Learners will also consider why LGBTQ+ awareness matters when working with young people and why identity itself should not be treated as a safeguarding concern or mental health problem.
Module 2: Experiences, Discrimination, Housing and Intersectionality
Learners will examine the varied experiences LGBTQ+ young people may have within families, friendships, education, communities and online spaces. The module considers supportive relationships, rejection, bullying and discrimination, alongside potential pathways into housing insecurity and hidden homelessness. It also introduces intersectionality and explores how ethnicity, culture, faith, disability, neurodivergence, care experience, poverty and migration may interact with an individual young person’s circumstances.
Module 3: Wellbeing, Safeguarding and Protective Factors
Learners will identify emotional, behavioural and higher-risk signs that may indicate distress, while avoiding assumptions about their cause. The module covers safeguarding concerns including abuse, harassment, exploitation, outing and unsafe housing. Learners will also consider protective factors such as trusted adults, safe accommodation, supportive relationships, inclusive peer groups, appropriate services and meaningful participation.
Module 4: Professional Responsibilities, Confidentiality and Ethical Boundaries
Learners will consider the responsibilities and limitations of different frontline roles, including education, youth work, social work, counselling and caring roles. The module explains how confidentiality and privacy should be discussed with young people, when information may need to be shared and how sensitive information should be handled. It also explores ethical boundaries when supporting identity exploration and the importance of avoiding attempts to steer, suppress or predetermine a young person’s identity.
Module 5: Respectful Communication and Responding to Disclosures
Learners will develop their understanding of respectful and inclusive communication, including the appropriate use of names, pronouns and neutral language. The module explains how to ask relevant questions without unnecessary intrusion and how to respond calmly when a young person comes out or makes another personal disclosure. Learners will also consider the features of affirming environments, including anti-bullying expectations, privacy, accessible information, visible support routes and meaningful involvement of young people.
Module 6: Escalation, Referral and Housing Risk
Learners will distinguish between conversations that can be supported within ordinary professional practice and situations requiring additional safeguarding or urgent action. The module outlines appropriate referral routes for safeguarding, mental health, housing and specialist support. It also considers how practitioners should respond to family rejection or threatened homelessness by checking immediate safety, identifying safer accommodation options and planning support without encouraging disclosure that could increase risk.
Module 7: Recording, Information Sharing and Multi-Agency Working
Learners will explore how to create accurate, timely and respectful records by separating facts from interpretation and limiting unnecessary sensitive information. The module explains the principles of appropriate safeguarding information sharing, including having a clear purpose, sharing only what is necessary and using the correct professional routes. It also considers how clear organisational systems, coordinated multi-agency support, supervision and effective handovers contribute to safer practice.
Module 8: Current Guidance, Support Services and Key Practice Actions
Learners will review the importance of working from current safeguarding, equality and professional guidance relevant to their role and setting. The module identifies sources of support including Stonewall resources, akt, Childline, NHS services and appropriate local provision. It concludes by bringing together the course’s core principles: respectful communication, privacy, safeguarding, professional boundaries, accurate recording, appropriate information sharing, referral and person-centred decision-making.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for:
- Health and social care practitioners working with children and young people.
- Youth workers and professionals working in youth services.
- Teachers, education staff and other practitioners supporting young people.
- Social workers, carers and staff involved in family or placement support.
- Counsellors and wellbeing practitioners working within appropriate professional boundaries.
- Housing, community and voluntary-sector staff who may support LGBTQ+ young people.
No previous specialist knowledge is required.
FAQ
Who is this LGBTQ+ young people awareness course suitable for?
The course is suitable for frontline practitioners and staff who work with children and young people across health, social care, education, youth, housing, community and voluntary-sector services. It is particularly useful for anyone who may need to respond to conversations about identity, discrimination, wellbeing, safeguarding or support.
Do I need any previous experience?
No previous specialist knowledge of LGBTQ+ terminology or support practice is required. The course introduces key concepts and develops them through practical professional responsibilities and common situations involving young people.
What will I learn on this course?
You will learn about LGBTQ+ terminology, identity development, coming out, discrimination, housing insecurity, intersectionality, wellbeing and safeguarding. The course also covers confidentiality, ethical boundaries, inclusive communication, disclosures, referrals, record keeping, information sharing and multi-agency working.
Will this course help with day-to-day practice?
Yes. The course focuses on practical principles that can be applied to everyday interactions, including listening without judgement, avoiding assumptions, respecting privacy, responding to disclosures, recognising risks and knowing when further professional action may be needed.
Does the course cover practical skills?
The course develops practical awareness rather than specialist clinical or therapeutic skills. It covers respectful communication, responding to disclosures, checking safety, recognising safeguarding concerns, making appropriate records, sharing information carefully and identifying suitable referral routes.
Does it cover safeguarding and professional responsibilities?
Yes. The course explains how safeguarding applies when there is evidence of abuse, exploitation, discrimination, serious distress, homelessness or another safety concern. It also covers professional boundaries, confidentiality, information sharing, recording, escalation and the importance of following current organisational and role-specific procedures.
Does the course explain how to respond if a young person comes out?
Yes. Learners consider how to listen calmly, acknowledge the young person’s trust, ask what support they want, check for relevant safety concerns and explain privacy appropriately. The course emphasises that coming out does not automatically require referral or safeguarding action.
Does the course cover homelessness and housing insecurity?
Yes. The course considers rejection, unsafe home circumstances, sofa surfing, hidden homelessness and other forms of housing insecurity. It also explains how practitioners can assess immediate safety and identify suitable housing, safeguarding and specialist support routes.
How long does the course take?
The course is self-paced and usually takes around 1 hour to complete.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.
This course provides a practical foundation for working respectfully and safely with LGBTQ+ young people. It supports practitioners to combine inclusive communication with sound safeguarding judgement, clear professional boundaries and person-centred support based on each young person’s individual circumstances.
Enrol now to build your understanding of LGBTQ+ young people awareness and support.
