This guide offers group care facilities information and tools to provide transgender and gender non-conforming youth with appropriate and informed care. It describes laws requiring facilities to protect these youth from harassment and abuse and to provide them with appropriate medical care. This publication assists staff in understanding the experiences and concerns of transgender and gender non-conforming youth, and responding to these youths’ safety, programmatic, and health care needs.
National Center for Lesbian
Rights and Sylvia Rivera Law Project (2011)
Between September 2003 and December 2004, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (Lambda) organized Regional Listening Forums in 13 different cities around the country. The objective was to highlight the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in care. Out of the Margins consolidates the responses of the more than 500 youth and adult participants from 22 states who attended the Forums and offered personal stories and concrete solutions for building the capacity of the child welfare system to better meet the needs of LGBTQ young people in care.
As part of the broader All Children-All Families initiative, the curriculum is intended to provide expert LGBTQ competency support that can be customized based on the needs of the organization. The curriculum includes 1) An Introduction to LGBTQ Competency for Child Welfare Professionals, 2) Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Families, and 3) Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care. The training is supported through a fee-for-service with an average cost approximately $1,500 per trainer per day.
Human Rights Campaign
Be True and Be You: A Basic Guide for LGBTQ+ Youth
This toolkit is designed to assist transgender, gender non-conforming, questioning, and ally students to make school a safer place. Resources include how to advocate for change as well as an extensive list of resources to help you connect with the transgender community and find support.
Lambda Legal & National Youth
Breaking the Silence: LGBTQ Youth Tell Their Stories, A Tool for Training Care Providers on Working Effectively with LGBTQ Youth
The Breaking the Silence DVD and Resource CD is designed to give presenters and trainers tools that can help educate providers on making foster care safe, supportive, and welcoming and affirming for LGBTQ youth.This resource combines an education videos and training tools.
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) (n.d)
This booklet was developed to provide information about the care and support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning children and youth. Unfortunately, we know LGBTQ youth are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system and often face discrimination and mistreatment in out-of-home care. This guide includes information on terminology and several basic, but key, tips on how to best support and care for LGBTQ children and youth.
Human Rights Campaign (n.d)
Comprehensive Services Model
With the Comprehensive Services Model, LGBTQ-affirming drop-in centers serve as a one-stop shop. Using a strengths-based case management model, youth at the drop-in center have access to a comprehensive array of LGBTQ-affirming services within the center. Some of the service providers available include Medicaid enrollment specialists, physicians, and attorneys. Staff and peers offer group skills training throughout the day.
Ferguson & Maccio, 2012
Critical Issues and LGBT-Two Spirit Populations: Highlights from the HONOR Project Study
A health survey of Two-Spirit Native Americans designed to (a) test a theoretically driven stress and coping model among 447 two spirit American Indians via a structured survey; (b) design and test the feasibility of various peer-driven sampling recruitment methodologies to produce a national representative sample; and (c) conduct a qualitative study with 65 leaders to identify major strengths and coping strategies in this population.
Report by the Indigenous
Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington, 2010
