Sharing Our Lived Experiences: 22 Tips for Caring for Two-Spirit and Native LGBTQ Youth in the Child Welfare System
This resource is dedicated to Two-Spirit and American Indian/Alaska Native LGBTQ children and youth whose lives are impacted by the child welfare system, and to the child welfare professionals, foster and adoptive parents, caregivers, and community members who strive to support them. The tips contained are meant to support caregivers in working with and caring for Two-Spirit and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) American Indian/Alaska Native children and youth.
These tips may also be helpful to tribal community members that wish to be allies to their young relatives.
Suicide Prevention Among LGBT Youth: A Workshop for Professionals Who Serve Youth
This is a free workshop kit to help staff in schools, youth-serving organizations, and suicide prevention programs take action to reduce suicidal behavior among LGBT youth. Topics covered include suicidal behavior among LGBT youth, risk and protective factors for suicidal behavior, strategies to reduce the risk, and ways to increase school or agency cultural competence. The kit contains everything needed to host a workshop: a Leader’s Guide, sample agenda, PowerPoint presentations (in PDF), a sample script, and handouts.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC; 2011)
Supporting Your LGBTQ Youth: A Guide for Foster Parents
This guide is designed to improve foster parents’ skills in supporting LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system. The guide emphasizes the unique role that foster parents can play in reducing risks and stigma while improving youths’ health and well-being in the community.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Teen SENSE: Model Sexual Health Care Standards for Youth in State Custody
This resource reflects the minimum requirements that facilities should meet in order to appropriately address the sexual health care needs of youth in the state’s care. Youth should be provided with confidential, culturally competent care including physical and mental health screenings; universal offers of STI and HIV testing; written information, counseling, and treatment related to pregnancy, STI and HIV transmission and prevention, and sexual violence; and ongoing care and discharge planning related to sexual and reproductive health.
The Center for HIV Law and Policy (2012)
The Model Standards Project: Creating Inclusive Systems for LGBT Youth in Out-of-Home Care
This article describes the history, development, and goals of the Model Standards Project (MSP), a collaboration between Legal Services for Children and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The article concludes with recommendations for implementation of the standards in local jurisdictions.
Legal Services for Children & National Center for Lesbian Rights (2006)
The Tribal Equity Tool Kit: Tribal Resolutions and Codes to Support Two-Spirit and LGBT Justice in Indian Country
This toolkit provides sample legal language for adapting tribal resolutions and codes to recognize the rights of all tribal citizens, including Two Spirit and LGBTQ Natives. This is the third edition of the toolkit published with the support of a growing coalition of national organizations including the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Western States Center and the Center for American Progress.
Toolkit for Practitioners/Researchers Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning Runaway and Homeless Youth
This resource discusses the overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth in homeless and runaway populations.
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (2012)
Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People
This resource is a guide for making shelters safer for transgender people, including implement an effective nondiscrimination policy.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Institute & National Coalition for the Homeless (2003)
Using Child Welfare Administrative Data in the Permanency Innovations Initiative Evaluation
Administrative data provide a rich source of information for child welfare administrators and the child welfare research community. This paper will give readers guidelines on which data to use and how best to use it.
Children’s Bureau Child Welfare Information Gateway (2014)
