Resources for Parents and Carers
Knowing how to support and advocate for your child when they’ve come out as transgender or non-binary, or are exploring their gender, can feel overwhelming.
That’s why we’ve pulled together some resources for parents of transgender children and young people to make things feel easier.
From a glossary of useful words to deed poll FAQs and book recommendations, these resources cover a wide range of topics to help you support your child.
Please note, all information provided by external organisations signposted on this page is for reference purposes only, and does not constitute any form of recommendation, endorsement or guidance by Mermaids.
We’ve created a handy list of common words and phrases associated with the trans community to help you navigate language you may hear your child and other people use.
Does your child wish to change their legal name? We’ve created deed poll templates and FAQs to make this as easy as possible.
In July, the Department of Education released new statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, for schools and colleges in England. This guidance will come into effect on 1st September 2026.
The guidance covers various topics, from single-sex facilities to social transition and more, which will impact how schools and colleges can support trans, non-binary and gender diverse students.
We’ve worked through the guidance and pulled out the key sections which pertain to trans children and young people in an attempt to set out what the guidance will mean in practice for our community. By doing so, we hope to provide young people with a clear breakdown of how these changes will impact them and provide information to assist them in advocating for themselves. You can read our explainer of the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance on our blog.
If you are looking into gender healthcare and wondering what the process is, we’ve created a flowchart to explain the process. You can also find information about the NHS’ National Children and Young People Gender Referral Support Service (formerly GIDS) on their website.
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
Trans people are protected from discrimination under this Act. You can find out more about transphobic discrimination and the law on Transactual’s website.
You can also read the Equality Act 2010 as it’s written, and the Department for Education’s advice for schools applying the Equality Act, by clicking the buttons below.
Useful Articles
- Action for Children: Supporting your child with their gender identity
- Just Like Us: LGBT Guide for Parents
- Trans Equality: Understanding non binary people, how to be respective & supportive
- BEAT: Eating Disorders in Transgender and Non-binary people
- Yellow Brick Program: What You Need to Know About Parenting a Transgender Child
Useful Websites
- The Proud Trust: their resources cover a range of different things such as exploring LGBT+ identities, LGBT+ inclusion and how to support young people coming out as LGBT+.
- All Sorts Youth: produces a wide range of publications for young people and professionals, organisations & groups working with LGBT+ youth.
- Pop N Olly: produce videos, books and classroom resources = used in primary schools across the UK, and beyond, to teach about equality and diversity to combat LGBT+ prejudice before it can begin to form.
Podcasts
- Gloriously Unready: Josephine, mum to two trans young adults, describes how change challenged her identity and relationships. Trans guests also contribute their perspectives as they describe how they came to realise their identity and how they came out.
- How To Be A Girl – Mum Marlo and her daughter produce a podcast together about their life and the challenges they face, and what it means to be a girl.
- Queers and Co – through intimate personal reflections and conversations with bold changemakers, this podcast explores life through a queer and neurodivergent lens. Host Gem Kennedy dives into what it means to live authentically as an act of liberation – learning about ourselves and gaining inspiration from extraordinary activists.
Books
- The T in LGBT by Jamie Raines
- Trans Teen Survival Guide by Fox Fisher
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
- None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza
- Supporting Transgender Autistic Youth and Adults: A Guide for Professionals and Families
- Trans and Autistic – Stories from Life at the Intersection
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Mermaids is here to support you. Still have questions after reading this page? Has a loved one come out to you as trans? Or is someone you support facing a challenge? Whatever you are feeling right now, we’re here to listen.
Speak to a member of the Mermaids team. Our support line is open Monday and Wednesday 10:30am – 6pm and Tuesday and Thursday 1pm – 8:30pm (bank holiday times may vary)
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