{"id":58292,"date":"2025-09-06T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=58292"},"modified":"2025-09-06T07:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T10:30:00","slug":"n-s-social-workers-advocating-province-to-update-guidelines-support-2slgbtqia-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=58292","title":{"rendered":"N.S. Social Workers advocating province to update guidelines, support 2SLGBTQIA+ students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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HALIFAX: <\/strong> As students across Nova Scotia return to school, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth face yet another academic year without updated Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students<\/a><\/u>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These guidelines, now over a decade old, fail to reflect the current realities and necessary protections, including the bans on conversion practices legislated both provincially and federally. This gap leaves 2SLGBTQIA+ students vulnerable in environments where they should feel safe and supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) has long advocated for the rights and well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ children and youth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, the NSCSW co-signed an interprofessional open letter sent to then-Minister Becky Druhan<\/a>, urging the government to update these critical guidelines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite assurances that updates were forthcoming, no action has been taken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This inaction puts children and youth at risk of harm and undermines the ability of social workers in schools to provide safe and ethical services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery child deserves to feel safe, supported, and affirmed in their school environment,\u201d said Alec Stratford, Executive Director and Registrar of the NSCSW. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe outdated guidelines fail to reflect the protections now enshrined in law, leaving 2SLGBTQIA+ students at risk of discrimination and harm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time for the government to act and ensure that schools are places where all children can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent reports highlight the inconsistent application of the existing guidelines across schools, sometimes with disastrous consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, some schools have restricted access to gender-neutral bathrooms, citing unrelated concerns, which directly impacts the rights and dignity of 2SLGBTQIA+ students. These inconsistencies, coupled with a lack of first-voice representation in decision-making, perpetuate harm and discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Robert Wright, President of the NSCSW, emphasized the urgency of this issue: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe failure to update these guidelines is not just a policy gap\u2014it\u2019s a failure of leadership in the face of increasing persecution of members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Schools must be places where every child, regardless of their gender identity or expression, feels safe and supported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The government\u2019s delay in addressing this issue puts children at risk and undermines the principles of equity and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSCSW, alongside community groups and the public, has called on the provincial government to act now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They say they need updated guidelines that align with the bans on conversion practices and reflect the Yogyakarta Principles<\/a>. These updates must ensure that every 2SLGBTQIA+ student can learn in a safe, supportive, and affirming environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The NSCSW are urging the government to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Update the Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students<\/em><\/strong>to reflect current legislation and best practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Ensure first-voice representation<\/strong>\u00a0from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in all decision-making processes affecting children and youth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Launch Nova Scotia\u2019s long-awaited Child and Youth Commission<\/strong>\u00a0to provide an independent avenue for children to voice their concerns and protect their rights.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    They say that no child should fear being unsupported or subjected to harmful practices in their school. It\u2019s time to prioritize the safety, dignity, and well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    HALIFAX: As students across Nova Scotia return to school, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth face yet another academic year without updated Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students. These guidelines, now over a decade old, fail to reflect the current realities and necessary protections, including the bans on conversion practices legislated both provincially and federally. This gap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[8262,9137,50,9138,1077,270],"class_list":["post-58292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-2slgbtqia","tag-guidelines","tag-halifax","tag-n-s-college-of-social-workers","tag-nova-scotia","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}