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July 2012Vol. 13, No. 6Resources for Serving LGBTQ Youth

The National Resource Center for In-Home Services (NRC In-Home) recently released new resources for child welfare professionals who work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. The NRC In-Home hosted a webinar in May titled "Building Support to Serve Families of LGBTQ Youth." The webinar, which is now posted on the NRC's website, coincides with the NRC's publication of In-Home Services for Families of LGBTQ Youth.

In April 2011, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released an Information Memorandum concerning the LGBTQ population in foster care. The NRC's resources echo data from the Information Memorandum about LGBTQ youth being overrepresented in the population served by the child welfare system. While it's difficult to know exactly how many LGBTQ youth are in out-of-home care, research suggests they are disproportionately represented in foster care and among the population of runaway and homeless youth. One study of three Midwestern States found that more than 23 percent of female and more than 10 percent of male respondents reported a sexual orientation other than heterosexual. Like other runaway or homeless youth, this population is considered to be at high risk for negative outcomes including unemployment, teen pregnancy, interaction with the juvenile justice system, low educational attainment, and more.

The NRC's publication In-Home Services for Families of LGBTQ Youth provides background information on this vulnerable population and on the impact of familial rejection—which is often the cause of their involvement with the child welfare system or their runaway or homeless status. Additionally, the publication explains the critical need for in-home services for LGBTQ youth and provides examples of research-based, family-focused interventions and promising practice models. 

In-Home Services for Families of LGBTQ Youth, by Diane E. Elze, is available on the NRC's website:

http://nrcinhome.socialwork.uiowa.edu/resources/documents/LGBTissuebriefwithpractice.pdf (837 KB)

Materials from the webinar, available on the NRC's website, include the following:

  • PowerPoint presentation slides
  • Webcast presentation
  • Family Acceptance Project Overall Best Practices Flyer
  • Family Acceptance Project Resource List
  • LGBTQ Glossary
  • Transgender-Related Terminology Handout

The webinar materials are available here: 

http://www.nrcinhome.socialwork.uiowa.edu/events/archived.shtml