Making services more LGBTQ+ inclusive: Jacqui Jobson
Making services more LGBTQ+ inclusive: Jacqui Jobson
Author
Introduction
In a recent survey of LGBTQ+ people, 16% of respondents said their experiences of health services had been negative because of their sexual orientation, and this rose to 38% for transgender people. This can lead to poorer health outcomes and these are especially pronounced in mental health.
“My Fellowship experience has helped me harness my passion for supporting LGBTQ+ communities." - Jacqui Jobson, Fellow
Freelance consultant Jacqui Jobson (CF 2017) trains and advises organisations on how to be more LGBTQ+ inclusive. During her Fellowship to Canada and Australia, she researched examples of good practice in inclusive and culturally competent mental health services, the learning from which she brought back and shared at the National Advocacy Conference for two years in a row. She ran a series of local workshops in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, made a podcast for the Mental Health Foundation and began to implement her Fellowship learnings into her own organisation, Connected Voice, where she was the Director of Advocacy. Additionally, she presented her Fellow’s Report to Newcastle and Gateshead Mental Health Partnership Board to influence NHS policy and guide health organisations on how to better support LGBTQ+ people.
In 2020, Jacqui became a freelance consultant. Since then, she has been advising several organisations on their Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plans and coaching charity leaders including those from LGBTQ+ communities. With the support of one of our Covid-19 Action Fund grants, she produced two free webinars providing practical guidance on how to support LGBTQ+ communities through the pandemic and beyond, which were attended by more than 120 people. She began working with a group of CEOs in the advocacy sector to write a set of EDI standards. More than 100 organisations have signed up to these so far, committing to actions that will transform the sector.
Jacqui was inspired into action through her own experience as a lesbian with past mental health difficulties, and through noticing a gap in support for LGBTQ+ people within her own organisation.
Jacqui says, “My Fellowship experience has helped me harness my passion for supporting LGBTQ+ communities and given me the confidence to expand my career into this area of work. I am so grateful for the opportunities, both during and after my Fellowship, to continue to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues, including in mental health, and I hope to continue to build on this work.”
“My Fellowship experience has helped me harness my passion for supporting LGBTQ+ communities." - Jacqui Jobson, Fellow
Freelance consultant Jacqui Jobson (CF 2017) trains and advises organisations on how to be more LGBTQ+ inclusive. During her Fellowship to Canada and Australia, she researched examples of good practice in inclusive and culturally competent mental health services, the learning from which she brought back and shared at the National Advocacy Conference for two years in a row. She ran a series of local workshops in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, made a podcast for the Mental Health Foundation and began to implement her Fellowship learnings into her own organisation, Connected Voice, where she was the Director of Advocacy. Additionally, she presented her Fellow’s Report to Newcastle and Gateshead Mental Health Partnership Board to influence NHS policy and guide health organisations on how to better support LGBTQ+ people.
In 2020, Jacqui became a freelance consultant. Since then, she has been advising several organisations on their Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plans and coaching charity leaders including those from LGBTQ+ communities. With the support of one of our Covid-19 Action Fund grants, she produced two free webinars providing practical guidance on how to support LGBTQ+ communities through the pandemic and beyond, which were attended by more than 120 people. She began working with a group of CEOs in the advocacy sector to write a set of EDI standards. More than 100 organisations have signed up to these so far, committing to actions that will transform the sector.
Jacqui was inspired into action through her own experience as a lesbian with past mental health difficulties, and through noticing a gap in support for LGBTQ+ people within her own organisation.
Jacqui says, “My Fellowship experience has helped me harness my passion for supporting LGBTQ+ communities and given me the confidence to expand my career into this area of work. I am so grateful for the opportunities, both during and after my Fellowship, to continue to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues, including in mental health, and I hope to continue to build on this work.”