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A Nordic digital curriculum for LGBTI competencies in higher education programs for human service professions


The project focuses on higher education for human services professionals by developing a multilingual Nordic digital curriculum to enhance LGBTI competencies within social work and healthcare. Research has highlighted the limited and inadequate coverage of these topics in existing social and healthcare education programs.

There are challenges that include inadequate training about encountering LGBTI populations, professional’s possible biases to encounter LGBTI people and heteronormativity in social work practice. These issues negatively impact LGBTI individuals  and increase their unequal position in social and healthcare settings.

The project uses a co-creation approach involving students, NGOs, and experts to create a digital curriculum accessible in Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, and English. The curriculum includes modules covering sexual and gender diversity, life course perspectives, and LGBTI issues in social work and healthcare. The curriculum will be hosted on a digital platform and made openly available for students, professionals, and educators.

Updated 28 October 2025