Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth within in welfare: Prevalence, risk and outcomes

The purpose of this study was to estimate the population of sexual minority or LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) children and youth involved with the child welfare system, and to compare their health, mental health, placement and permanency outcomes to those of non-LGB youth. Data were drawn from the Second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-II), a nationally representative sample of children who were referred to child welfare due to a report of abuse or neglect over a fifteen month period.  Results indicate that approximately 15.5% of all system involved youth identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and that lesbian and bisexual females, and LGB youth of color are both overrepresented within child welfare systems. Although no substantive difference in risk factors, permanency and placement were found between LGB and Non-LGB youth, LGB youth were significantly more likely to meet the criteria for adverse mental health outcomes. Implications for child welfare practice and policy are presented, along with recommendations for future research in this area.

Los Angeles LGBT Center: Recognize. Intervene. Support. Empower (RISE)

RISE offers comprehensive care coordination through a Care Coordination Team (CCT). The CCT partners with families of LGBTQ youth ages 5 and older and focuses on barriers to permanency. RISE also includes an outreach and relationship-building component to support public and private agencies in working with LGBTQ youth. This component includes a three-hour LGBTQ foundation training, a three-hour social work practice with LGBTQ training for foster parents and kinship care, and organizational coaching.

Wilson et al, 2016

Mental Health of Transgender Children Who Are Supported in Their Identities

Transgender children who have socially transitioned, that is, who identify as the gender “opposite” their natal sex and are supported to live openly as that gender, are increasingly visible in society, yet we know nothing about their mental health. Previous work with children with gender identity disorder (GID; now termed gender dysphoria) has found remarkably high rates of anxiety and depression in these children. Here we examine, for the first time, mental health in a sample of socially transitioned transgender children. Results demonstrate that socially transitioned transgender children who are supported in their gender identity have developmentally normative levels of depression and only minimal elevations in anxiety, suggesting that psychopathology is not inevitable within this group. Especially striking is the comparison with reports of children with GID; socially transitioned transgender children have notably lower rates of internalizing psychopathology than previously reported among children with GID living as their natal sex.

Model Anti-Harassment and Nondiscrimination Policy for Child Welfare or Juvenile Justice Agencies

This model anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy is for child welfare and juvenile justice agencies who wish to adopt a policy that would prohibit all forms of harassment, create a safe environment for all youth and service providers, and ensure that all youth have equal access to all available services, placement, care, treatment, and benefits provided by the agency.

National Center for Lesbian Rights (2006)

Our Space & beFIERCE

Our Space is a LGBTQ youth community center operated in Hayward, Calif., that serves LGBTQ youth between the ages of 14 to 24. Our Space supported the development of beFIERCE, a tool kit for providers working with LGBTQ foster care youth. beFIERCE walks providers through the needs of LGBTQ youth and how their organizations can better support the population.

beFIERCE by Stephanie Perron, 2015

Reaching Higher: A Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents and Kinship Caregivers Caring for LGBTQ Youth

Designed as a full-day facilitation, the curriculum was developed to help foster, kinship, adoptive, and biological families enhance their skills in supporting LGBTQ youth. The curriculum includes nine modules that provide participants with information on the impact and scope of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system and help participants to assess their own values and beliefs.

National Center for Child Welfare Excellence

Recommended LGBTQ Children, Youth, and Families Cultural Competence Tools, Curricula, and Resources

This synthesis recommends publicly available resources that can support workforce development in child-, youth-, and family-serving systems (e.g., schools, healthcare, child welfare, homelessness, juvenile justice). Resources are intended to support more competent practice and affirming, inclusive services and supports for LGBTQ children, youth, and families.

American Institutes for Research