Provide rainbow competency training for all staff.
Your organisation will benefit from providing opportunities for professional development to all staff, including receptionists, administration staff, and volunteers in any capacity, in addition to clinical or client-facing staff members. It is useful to require all staff to undertake rainbow competency training instead of making it optional for those who already have an interest in rainbow topics.
Make sure the training is relevant to the work that staff are doing. Offering workshops to specific teams can be a way to tailor the content to their work. Ask for feedback from staff about any training they receive, and for topics that they would like further resources or education about.
Ensure the training equips them with the resources they need to continue developing their skills and knowledge.
How will you encourage all staff to learn about rainbow competency and understand how it connects with best practice in many areas of work? Who is offering rainbow professional development opportunities in your area and can you bring their expertise into your team or organisation?
Take Action
Find out who are the rainbow organisations or experts offering rainbow professional development and work with them to provide rainbow competency training to staff.
Make sure you regularly review the rainbow training process and whether it is meeting the needs of the staff and the organisation.
Consider the importance of the following objectives. Does the rainbow professional development you are offering your staff ensure that:
All staff feel confident and comfortable talking with rainbow service users.
All staff and volunteers recognise the impacts of homophobia, biphobia, interphobia and transphobia on rainbow people.
All staff and volunteers recognise the impact of colonisation in relation to gender, sexuality and variations of sex characteristics.
All staff understand how to build inclusive, safe spaces, including ways to respond to bullying and build protective factors for rainbow people.
All staff have opportunities to learn more about any specific areas of rainbow competence that they identify as relevant.