Tag Archives: LGBTQ

New Practice Guidelines for Serving LGBTQ Youth

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The practice guidelines, produced by the Child Welfare League of America and Lambda Legal, outline best practices for improving positive outcomes and ensuring the safety of LGBTQ children and youth, who are largely overrepresented in the child welfare system. Specifically, the guidelines are targeted toward working with LGBTQ youth who are at risk of or are living with HIV and involved with child welfare. Link to Page on Children’s Bureau Web Site

Recommended Practices to Promote the Safety and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth and Youth at Risk of or Living With HIV in Child Welfare Settings is available on Lambda Legal’s website:
http://www.lambdalegal.org/publications/recommended-practices-youth

Recognizing and Addressing LGBTQ Issues: Conference Summary

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July 9, 2012; American Bar Association: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth are, unfortunately, overrepresented in the child-welfare system, juvenile-justice system, and homeless population. While involved in these systems or living on the streets, LGBTQ youth experience more harassment, violence, and rejection, and engage in more suicide attempts, than their non-LGBTQ counterparts. The best practices for providing high-quality representation of the unique LGBTQ youth population was discussed during the March 13, 2012, 1.5-hour webinar and telephone conference “Recognizing and Addressing LGBTQ Issues in Your Children’s Law Caseload.”     Secondary Link

Information Packet: LGBTQ Youth Permanency.

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National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections: Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or questioning (LGBTQ) youth fear that their families will reject them if they disclose their sexual identity. LGBTQ youth continue to suffer from the effects of discrimination within the child welfare system. They can find themselves in group homes where they endure peer bullying that is often tacitly or expressly condoned by staff. Foster parents may pressure LGBTQ youth to somehow change or suppress their sexual identities or may send them back to their agencies. Eventually, such foster parents become known to their agencies, which accommodate them by not sending them LGBTQ youth. Unsurprisingly, permanency is rarely considered an option for these youth. Link to Information Packet Contains a Fact Sheet, Best Practice Tips and a long list of links to additional resources to help with this population.