RESOURCE COLLECTION

Leading With Pride to Support LGBTQIA2S+ Youth and Families

"During Pride Month, we honor a movement that has grown stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive with every passing year. Pride is a celebration of generations of LGBTQI+ people, who have fought bravely to live openly and authentically. And it is a reminder that we still have generational work to do to ensure that everyone enjoys the full promise of equity, dignity, protection, and freedom."—President Joseph R. Biden Jr.,  A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2023

It is vital for child welfare professionals to learn strategies to engage and support youth who are LGBTQIA2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit, or other gender or sexual identity)—whether inside or outside of the formal child welfare system.

As you spend time recognizing the LGBTQIA2S+ community during Pride Month 🌈, dedicate yourself to finding ways to improve agency policies and trainings and making shifts to strengthen culturally responsive practices. Use this collection of resources and tips year-round in your efforts to engage and support LGBTQIA2S+ youth, families, and communities.

See What's Inside!

Children and youth who are LGBTQIA2S+ make up an estimated 30 percent of those in foster care. These youth face unique challenges, so it is important to normalize conversations about identity to help nurture supportive relationships and make connections to community. These resources will strengthen your knowledge and improve your work with children and youth who are LGBTQIA2S+.

Information Gateway Publications

• Protecting the Rights and Providing Appropriate Services to LGBTQIA2S+ Youth in Out-of-Home Care (New!)
  

• Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guide for Foster Parents (also available in Spanish)
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions From LGBTQ+ Prospective Foster and Adoptive Parents 

Information Gateway Resource Collections

• Advancing Equality for LGBTQIA2S+ Individuals (New!)
  
  
• Resources for LGBTQIA2S+ Youth in Out-of-Home Care 
  
  
• Working With LGBTQ+ Youth and Families

Partner Resources

• Guidance for Title IV-B and IV-E Agencies When Serving LGBTQI+ Children and Youth (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau) 
  
  
• Tip Sheet on Responding to Youth and Young Adult Mental Health Needs (Division X Technical Assistance)
  
  
• National SOGIE Center (National Center for Youth With Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression)

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