Barnardo’s is a charity that helps support vulnerable children.
Children’s charity Barnardo’s is celebrating after it successfully trained 8,000 teaching staff and 640 parent, community and student ambassadors in an anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying programme. The figures were released at the start of LGBT History Month.
Through their Barnardo’s Positive Identities service, the charity has been able to deliver 411 sessions to 162 schools in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.
The sessions help both teachers and students better understand how to identify and react to discrimination, and to better understand different sexual and gender identities.
The charity also offers policy and guidance reviews on how to respond and record discriminatory instances of bullying.
The chief executive of Barnardo’s Javed Khan said: “All bullying at school should be challenged, but when young people are singled out for their sexuality or identity, it can be particularly harmful.
“Barnardo’s champions awareness about LGBTQ issues in school, so that teachers can support all their students effectively, and young people can support each other.
“Equality and inclusion are at the heart of everything Barnardo’s does – from our direct work with children and young people, to support for our staff and volunteers.”
One of the charity’s biggest success stories in recent months is in Calderdale. Due to funding from the local council, the charity has been able to offer its Positive Identities to multi-agency professionals, health professionals, schools and community groups.
And as the project was deemed important enough to have longevity, the Barnardo’s Equality Ambassadors, which works with younger children, was created.
Under this new scheme, a primary school in the village of Mytholmroyd will be hosting a diversity disco later this month.
Further information about the charity can be found on their website.
Related: Barnardo’s launch ‘faith toolkit’ to help schools support LGBTQ young people
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