This toolkit offers practice time and information to ensure that LGBTQ youth in child welfare and juvenile justice system receive affirming support and services while engaged in out-of-home care.
Child Welfare League of America & Lambda Legal (2013)
Green Chimneys
Green Chimneys was a transitional living program that operates in the state of New York. No longer operating in New York City, the program provided beds to homeless or at-risk LGBTQ youth between the ages of 17 to 21.
Nolan, 2006
Guidelines for Managing Information Related to the Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity and Expression of Children in the Child Welfare System
This publication was developed in conjunction with the Putting Pride into Practice Project (“P4”), a three-year effort undertaken by Family Builders by Adoption, in partnership with the California Department of Social Services, to implement CWLA’s Best Practice Guidelines for Serving LGBT Youth in Out of Home Care in several county child welfare systems in California. The project provides training and technical assistance to build agency capacity and improve organizational competency through leadership and policy development, community and constituency engagement, and recruitment, training and support of placement resources.
Family Builders, Legal Services for Children, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Center for the Study of Social Policy (2013)
Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People
Psychologists who work with transgender or gender nonconforming people should seek to provide acceptance, support and understanding without making assumptions about their clients’ gender identities or gender expressions, according to practice guidelines adopted during the American Psychological Association’s 123rd Annual Convention.
American Psychological Association (2015)
How to Gather Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Clinical Settings
This brief reviews two methods for providers to collect sexual orientation and gender identity from parents.
The Fenway Institute (2012)
In-Home Resources for Families of LGBTQ Youth
This brief reviews resources and best practices for supporting LGBTQ youth and their families in-home settings.
National Resource Center for In-Home Services (n.d)
Information Packet: Transgender Youth in Child Welfare Settings
This fact sheet reviews the experiences of transgender youth in the child welfare system. It offers a brief overview of national legislation and best practices for agencies.
National Center for Child Welfare Excellence (Sikerwar & Rider, 2015)
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: A Guide to Juvenile Detention Reform
This guide highlights a wide range of best practices that juvenile justice facilities can implement to advance the safety and well-being of LGBT youth.
Annie E. Casey Foundation; Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (Wilber, 2015)
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
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)
Moving the Margins: Training Curriculum for Child Welfare Services with LGBTQ Youth in Out-of-Home Care
This train-the-trainer curriculum includes a 101 and a 201 section. Aimed at increasing providers’ sensitivity and enhancing their skills, the modules within the curriculum provide definitions, values clarifications, and a learning lab on LGBTQ youth in out-of-home care.
National Association of Social Workers and Lambda Legal (Kelly & Clark, 2009)
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
Out of the Shadows: Supporting LGBTQ Youth in Child Welfare Through Cross-System Collaboration
This resource reviews the disproportionate representation of LGBT young people of color who are engaged in the child welfare system. This resource reviews outcomes and protective factors.
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2016)
PII Approach: Building Implementation and Evaluation Capacity in Child Welfare
The PII approach integrates the tenets of implementation science and program evaluation into a coordinated framework to support and evaluate this initiative. This report describes this collaborative approach to implementation and evaluation that is currently underway.
Children’s Bureau Child Welfare Information Gateway (2014)
Practice Brief: Providing Services and Supports for Youth Who Are LGBTQI2-S
This brief reviews developing culturally and linguistically competent programs and services to meet the needs and preferences of LGBTQI2-S youth.
National Center for Cultural Competence (Poirer et al., 2008)