Trans Inclusion: Resources to Inform Transition Houses, Women's and Children's Services

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The Vancouver-based Trans Alliance Society offers advocacy and resources and defines Trans this way:

Trans refers to anyone who has a gender identity; may it be the medical or psychological model, that is different than their birth sex, and/or expresses their gender in ways that contravene societal expectations of the range of possibilities for men and women. 

This may include people who self-identify as transgendered, intersex, Two Spirit, crossdressers, transsexuals, bi-gendered, pan-gendered, genderqueer, androgynous, third gender, female and male impersonators, and drag kings/queens, as well as people whose perceived gender or anatomic sex may conflict with their gender expression (such as masculine-appearing women and feminine-appearing men).

Qmunity is BC's Queer Resource Centre. It is another helpful organization which provides training, consulting, support and resources.

Here are two great publications from the US organization PFLAG for understanding and supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive people: Our Trans Loved Ones: Questions and Answers for Parents, Families and Friends... and Guide to Being a Trans Ally.

You may also be interested in exploring this Power & Control Wheel for GLBT people.




The BCSTH Library has a variety of resources available for our members. (Email library@bcsth.ca to borrow books)

1. Resources for Transition Houses & Women's Services

• FORGE  / [organization]- A US organization that provides resources and services for anti-violence workers and Trans people. Only a few of their resources are listed below, so be sure to check for more.
• Sheltering Transgender women: Providing welcoming services, 2014 / [online document] FORGE. Highlights effective strategies for integrating trans women into shelter.
• Community action toolkit for addressing intimate partner violence against transgender people, 2014 / [online document]. VAW.net. Includes safety planning.
• Safety in relationships for trans* folk, 2014 / [online document] Qmunity and Legal Services Society, Jennifer Hepburn, editor. Written for trans people.
• Safety planning tool: a guide for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals who are experiencing intimage partner abuse, 2013 / [online document]  FORGE. a guide for trans people, by friends/peers, and by professionals who are helping a transgender person consider safety options while living in an abusive relationship or planning to leave one.

• FAQ: Safety planning with transgender clients, 2013 / [online document] FORGE. This FAQ outlines the major safety planning factors trans people need to hear about and lists some trans-specific items and considerations that should be addressed.  It also includes links to a trans-specific safety tool and training webinar.
• Working with rural trans survivors, 2013 / [online webinar] FORGE.  Practical advocacy tips for
  
  working in the intersections of rural communities, services for victims of violence, and transgender victims.
• FAQ: Universal design, 2012 / [online document] FORGE. Explains how meeting the needs of transgender clients will automatically result in services that better meet the needs of many clients, transgender and non-transgender.
• Domestic violence in LGBTQ communities: Trainers manual, and Participant's Manual, 2010 / [online document] SUNY, NY. Understanding and identifying domestic violence, and safety planning. Appendices include: Inclusive language, Creating a LGBT friendly agency.
• Outing the Abuse: Considerations for Effective Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and and Transgender Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence, 2010 / [book chapter in Domestic violence : intersectionality and culturally competent practice] Borrow from BCSTH Library
• Out of sight, out of mind? : Trangender people’sexperiences of domestic abuse, 2010 / [online document] Scotland. Understanding the experiences of transgender people and recommendations for service agencies.
• Culturally competent service provision to LGBT survivors of sexual violence, 2009 / [online document] VAW.net. A review of the research focusing on LGBT survivors of sexual trauma and offers recommendations for culturally competent service provision to LGBT clients.
• An introduction to working with LGBT people in residential settings, SHARP Access Project, 2009 /
  
  [online document] Vancouver Coastal Health PRISM. Definitions, heterosexual privilege, cisgender privilege, tips for sheltering.
• Our relatives said : a wise practices guide : voice of Aboriginal trans-people, 2008 / [online document] researcher/writers Jann Ticknor and Carla Gatt. Toronto. Understanding Aboriginal trans-people, includes a wise practices list and building your own trans-friendly policies.
• Removing barriers + building access : a resource manual on providing culturally relevant services to lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual victims of violence, 2004 / compiled, written and edited by Peter Toppings, The Centre. Borrow from BCSTH Library.
• Transitioning our shelters  : a guide to making homeless shelters safe for transgender people, 2003 / [online document] by Lisa Mottet and John M. Ohle. National Coalition for the Homeless, US. Practical policy information and guidelines.
• True selves : understanding transexualism --for families, friends, coworkers, and helping professionals, 2003 / [book] Mildred L. Brown, Chloe Ann Rounsley. Borrow from BCSTH Library. BCSTH Member Feedback: "Very good book. It helps me to make a better friendship with someone who is transgender. Recommended to members."
• Trans Inclusion Policy Manual for Women's Organizations, 2002. / [online document] Trans Alliance Society, BC. Practical guidance and information for developing a policy.
• Re/defining gender and sex: educating for trans, transsexual, and intersex access and inclusion to sexual assault centres and transition houses, 2002 / [online thesis] Caroline White, BC.

2. Resources for Child & Youth Services

• Creating safe and supportive learning environments: a guide to working with LGBT and questioning
  
  youth, and families / [book] Borrow from BCSTH Library.
• GLBTQ: The survival guide for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens / [book] Kelly Huegel.  Borrow from BCSTH Library.
• Queer : the ultimate LGBT guide for teens / [book] Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke. Borrow from BCSTH Library
• Affirmations deck / [cards] For youth.
• I think I might be transgender, now what do I do? A brochure by and for transgender youth / [online document] Advocates for Youth.
  
  
  
• Transgender youth survivors / [online webinar] VAW.net.  For service providers on working transgender youth who have experienced sexual violence.
• When Kathy is Keith / [book] for young children. Dr Wallace Wong's website. Borrow from BCSTH Library.

3. Deeper Reading for Everyone About Transgender People

Borrow from the BCSTH Library:

• Trans/forming feminisms : trans/feminist voices speak out / edited by Krista Scott-Dixon. [Book] 2006 
  
• Transgender history / Susan Stryker. [Book] 2008
• Transpeople : repudiation, trauma, healing / Christopher Shelley. [Book] 2008
• Whipping girl : a transexual woman on sexism and the scapegoating of femininity / Julia Serano. [Book] 2007

To borrow, please email us at library@bcsth.ca 

Please visit the BCSTH Library to learn more about resources and information services developed especially for members of the BC Society of Transition Houses, and contact us for more information.

Deb & Tina, Co-Librarians

library@bcsth.ca

www.bcsth.ca
BC Society of Transition Houses

Vancouver, British Columbia

Management & Administration Resources for EDs, Managers and Administrators

Non-profit Management  ~  Advocacy ~ Best Practices  ~  Boards  ~  Emergency Management   ~  Human Resources  ~  Intersectionality  ~  Media  ~   Policy  ~  Planning  ~ Records Management & Electronic Data  ~  Statistics  ~  Trauma-Informed Services  ~  Volunteers

Executive Directors, Mangers and other administrators (and anyone) working for a BCSTH-member agency may wish to borrow from this sampling of our management resources. 

To borrow - Simply email library@bcsth.ca
If you'd like more on one of these topics or resources on other topics of interest, email us and we'll send you suggestions, or search the BCSTH Library Catalogue. All resources are free to borrow by mail, or online.

Non-profit Management

•  Non-profit Lifecycles: Stage Based Wisdom for Non-Profit Capcity [Book] - Presents seven not-for-profit lifecycle stages and the predictable tasks, challenges, and inevitable growing pains that not-for-profits encounter and can hope to master on the road to organizational sustainability.
• The Abundant Not-for-Profit: How Talent Will Transform Your Organization [Book] - Theory, tips, case studies and practical tools that will equip you to attract, meaningfully engage and align an abundance of talented people towards your mission.
• Grassroots and Non-profit Leadership: A Guide for Organizations in Changing Times [Book] - Draws on the experience of a variety of effective organisational development professionals, community organisers and leaders of non-profit organisations, teaching a proactive approach to organisational life [Borrow or access online]
• 2013 Non-Profit Sector Salary and Benefits Study [Online Summary or borrow the report]

Advocacy

• Implications of the Shrinking Space for Feminist Anti-Violence Advocacy [Online Document]
• Living Beyond Shelter: Toward Coordinated Public Policies for Women's Safety and Violence Prevention [Online Document]

BCSTH has other best practice guides as well
as extensive resources on reducing barriers
for women with substance use and mental health issues

Best Practices

• Best Practice Approaches: Child Protection and Violence Against Women [Online Document]

Boards

• Effective Governance [Online Guides and Toolkits] - including ED Performance Review Toolkit, Board Role Descriptions Tool, Board Recruitment, Board Chair and ED Partnership Assessment, Board Assessment, and finally, Responsibility Overview.

Emergency Management

• It Can Happen to Your Agency! Tools for Change: Emergency Management for Women's Services [Online Toolkit]
• Emergency Preparedness in British Columbia: Mitigating Violence Against Women in Disasters [Online Report]

Human Resources

• Leadership: Develop Unlimited Talent [Online Toolkits and eLearning] - including Performance Management System for Salaries Employees, Attracting and Recruiting the Right People, Performance Management e-Learning, Managing Performance Issues e-Learning, Window of Work for Engaging Volunteers
• People Processes: Clarity and Consistency [Online Toolkits and Resources] - including Executive Director Position Description, Executive Director Interview Guide, Job Description Toolkit

Intersectionality

• Everyone Belongs: A Toolkit for Applying Intersectionality [Book] - Concrete and practical suggestions and tools for organizations to apply intersectionality to their work, including policies, services, and governance. [Borrow the book or access online.]
• Intersectional Feminist Frameworks: A Primer Written in Plain Language [Book] - An accessible introduction to Intersectional Feminist Frameworks - an approach to women's social and economic justice that takes into account multiple factors that operate simultaneously to determine inequalities among individuals and groups.
• Intersectional Feminist Frameworks: An Emerging Vision [Online Document] 

Media

• Working with the Media: A Guide for Canadian Victim Service Providers [Online Guide]

Planning

• Planning: Strategy and Workforce [Online Guide] - including Board and Senior Management Roles in Strategic Planning
• Doing it Right! A Needs Assessment Workbook [Book] - practical information on needs assessment for community and social change organizations. It presents information on how to conduct a needs assessment, including worksheets.

Policy 

• An Integrated Anti-oppression Framework for Reviewing and Developing Policy: A Toolkit for Community Service Organizations [Online Toolkit]
• Policy Development Information: A Guide to Policy Development for Feminist Anti-Violence Programs [Online Guide]

BCSTH has extensive resources on Technology and Data

Records Management & Electronic Data

• Records Management Guidelines : Protecting Privacy for Survivors of Violence, 3rd ed [Guide] - Guidelines for creating, updating, storing, releasing and destroying client records with privacy protection in mind.  [ Borrow report or access online ]
• Privacy, Security and Confidentiality: Database Considerations for Violence Against Women Programs [Guide] - Designed to help violence against women programs look at the risks and benefits of various methods of electronic data collection. Refers to related important documents. [ Borrow report or access online ]

Statistics

• I have covered statistics we can provide in this blog post on Statistics.

Social Media

• The Non-Profit Social Media Guide [Online Guide]
• Privacy, Security and Confidentiality: Social Media Considerations for Violence Against Women Programs [Guide] - Assists agencies to develop social media practices and policies that respect confidentiality, protect privacy, increase safety and enhance autonomy. [Borrow or access online]

Trauma-Informed Services

• A Long Journey Home: A Guide for Creating Trauma-Informed Services for Mothers and Children Experiencing Homelessness [Online Guide]
• Restoring Sanctuary: A New Operating System for Trauma-Informed Systems of Care [Book] - a user-friendly manual for organizational change that addresses the deep roots of toxic stress and illustrates how to transform a dysfunctional human service system into a safe, secure, trauma-informed environment.

Vantage Point provides these resources free of charge

Volunteers

• Volunteer Handbook [Online Book]
• Volunteers and the Law [Book] -  introduces the basic legal issues of working with volunteers and provides checklists for minimizing legal liability [Borrow book or access online]
• People Processes: Clarify and Consistency [Online Toolkits] - including Volunteer Position Description, Volunteer Letter of Agreement, Employee and Board Handbook for Working with Volunteers: Policies and Processes

Note that the BCSTH website has other important documents. 

To borrow library resources, read "First Time Borrowers." Please visit the BCSTH Library to learn more about resources and information services developed especially for members of the BC Society of Transition Houses, and contact us for more information.

Deb & Tina, Co-Librarians

library@bcsth.ca

www.bcsth.ca
BC Society of Transition Houses

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada