Getting Down to Basics

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people are in America’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems in disproportionate numbers. Like all young people in care, they have the right to be safe and protected. All too often, however, they are misunderstood and mistreated, leading to an increased risk of negative outcomes.

This tool kit, updated on 2012, offers practical tips and information to ensure that LGBTQ young people in care receive the support and services they deserve.

Developed in partnership by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and Lambda Legal, the tool kit gives guidance on an array of issues affecting LGBTQ youth and the adults and organizations who provide them with out-of-home care.

Download the complete tool kit, or browse by topic below.

En español.

Topics Included in This Tool Kit

• Basic Facts About Being LGBTQ
• Information for LGBTQ Youth in Care
• Families Supporting an LGBTQ Child
• Caseworkers with LGBTQ Clients
• Foster Parents Caring for LGBTQ Youth
• Congregate Care Providers Working with LGBTQ Youth
• Attorneys, Guardians ad Litem & Advocates Representing LGBTQ Youth
• Working with Transgender Youth
• Keeping LGBTQ Youth Safe in Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Placements
• Working with Homeless LGBTQ Youth
• Faith-Based Providers Working with LGBTQ Youth
• Basic LGBTQ Policies, Training & Services for Child Welfare Agencies
• Recommendations for Training & Education on LGBTQ Issues
• What the Experts Say: Position & Policy Statements on LGBTQ Issues from Leading Professional Associations
• LGBTQ Youth Resources
• Teaching LGBTQ Competence in Schools of Social Work
• Combating Misguided Efforts to Ban Lesbian & Gay Adults as Foster & Adoptive Parents
• LGBTQ Youth Risk Data
• Selected Bibliography

CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
CWLA is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit advocate for children and youth and has a membership of nearly 1000 public and private agencies, including nearly every state child welfare system.

LAMBDA LEGAL
Lambda Legal is the nation’s oldest and largest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV.

CWLA/LAMBDA JOINT INITIATIVE: FOSTERING TRANSITIONS
In 2002, Lambda Legal and CWLA combined their respective expertise in child welfare and LGBTQ issues and launched a historic partnership, entitled Fostering Transitions, to change the way LGBTQ youth and adults are treated in the nation’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems. In addition to this tool kit, Fostering Transitions has published other educational and advocacy tools, including Out of the Margins: A Report on Regional Listening Forums Highlighting the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth in Care.

Fostering Transitions is supported by a generous grant from the Andrus Family Fund, a grantmaking foundation with a priority area of funding projects that help young people transition from foster care to adult independence. CWLA and Lambda Legal are profoundly grateful for the Andrus Family Fund’s support and vision, without which Fostering Transitions and this tool kit would not have been possible.

To order free copies of the Getting Down to Basics tool kit, Out of the Margins and other resources, contact Lambda Legal at 1-866-LGBTeen (1-866-542-8336) (toll-free) or 212-809-8585.