LGBTQ+ Services: Focus Groups Report

Portsmouth City Council’s LGBTQ+ services are well received by those accessing them. However, many young LGBTQ+ people in Portsmouth are unaware of the full range of services available and more needs to be done to advertise them and improve accessibility.

The council could expand its services and support further by working in partnership with schools, other LGBTQ+ organisations, businesses, and the voluntary and community sector.

• Collect background information on:

1. young people’s experiences of being LGBTQ+
2. popular cultural influences and social media usage
3. safe spaces and any micro-aggressions or discrimination experienced

• Explore awareness of and satisfaction with current LGBTQ+ services for children and young people up to 25 years (specifically the youth groups for three different age bands, and the one-to-one support service)
• Explore how best to communicate with intersectional groups within LGBTQ+ and increase engagement
• Investigate what additional or different support or services might be needed to serve these intersectional groups

We took a mixed methodology approach to meet the research objectives, comprising seven workshop style focus groups and an ongoing complementary online survey. This report focuses solely on findings from the seven workshops.

FOCUS GROUPS / WORKSHOPS

The focus groups/workshops were recruited via groups previously engaged with by the LGBTQ+ team, or approached specifically for the purposes of this research project. They were designed to cover the three intersectional groups of most interest, as outlined in the background:

Disabled/neurodiverse workshops

1.MAKE group at Aldingbourne Enterprise centre (a craft/activities space for people with learning disabilities)

• The group took place on 15th February 10:30-12:30 with 8 participants with different learning difficulties, aged from around 18-30 years old
• A simplified discussion guide was used with visual signposting and practical exercises to encourage participation

2.Children at Redwood Park School (a special school for children aged 11-16 with complex learning difficulties)

• The group took place on the 6th and 7th March in two one hour sessions (14:00-15:00) with 6 participants aged 11-14

Ethnic minorities/religion-based workshops

3.Members of a new social group called ‘Queer POC’

• The group took place on the 7th March at Natty’s Jerk Shack at 17:30 to 20:00 with 5 participants aged 18-24

4.Ethnic Minority Advice Service (EMAS) LGBTQ+ training session

• The group took place at the Civic Offices on 30th March

North Portsmouth area

5.Young carers group at the Paulsgrove Family Hub (participants were all young carers as well as being LGBTQ+)

• The group took place on 1st March 17:00-18:30 with 7 participants aged 14-16

6.Castle View Academy

• The group took place on 18th May 13:00-15:00 with 7 participants aged 13-15

Other

7.LGBTQ+ adults aged 25+

• The group took place at Spithead Resource Centre on the 23rd March at 17:30 to 19:00 with 7 participants aged 25+ to provide some context on historic LGBTQ+ lived experience