New one-day training course aims to equip services to support trans people with drug or alcohol problems

SDF, in partnership with the Scottish Trans Alliance (STA), have designed a transgender awareness and inclusion course for people who work in the substance use field.

The full-day training will provide people working in drug and alcohol and/or recovery services with greater knowledge and awareness of trans people and how to be more trans aware and inclusive in your practice.

The need for training on trans awareness and inclusion within substance use services was identified in STA’s ‘Trans inclusion in alcohol and drug services’ report released in 2016

A research participant involved in the study stated:

“Professionals receiving basic education on trans (including non-binary) identities would make a world of difference.”

Another participant felt that workers in substance use services should:

“Be more actively aware of trans people being more susceptible to drug or alcohol abuse due to their social/family/financial etc. situation, and bear this in mind that being trans doesn’t cause addiction but can be a factor that adds to it.”

Katy MacLeod, SDF’s National Training and Development Officer, who is co-facilitating the training with STA, said:

“I am delighted to see this much-needed training happening for frontline services in Scotland. Increased trans awareness and small adaptations to practice and service delivery can massively support trans people to access services and be better supported generally. As outlined in the research by Scottish Trans Alliance; substance use by transgender people can sometimes be significantly higher than among cisgender people, so therefore it is crucial that services are adequately equipped in order to support trans people effectively”

The next training session will be held in SDF’s Office in Glasgow on Wednesday the 5th of September 2018 at a cost of £50 per person.

Click here to secure your place.

If you have any questions about the content of the course, please email Oceana Maund from the Scottish Trans Alliance (oceana@equality-network.org) or Katy MacLeod from SDF (katy@sdf.org.uk) who will be able to answer your questions.

If you have any questions about organising invoicing and payment for the course, please email Lynne Davies (lynne@equality-network.org) who will be able to help.

A summary and full report of STA’s report can be found here.