LGBTQ+ Populations
Through implementing programs and services to address behavioral health needs of youth; listening to families about their experiences with public systems; and through observing practitioners in the field we saw the unmet needs of system-involved LGBTQ+ young people. From working directly with systems-involved youth we learned about the pathways that led to young people with LGBTQ+ identities to becoming involved in public systems. They were not predisposed to behavioral health challenges, rather they were experiencing stress that are further exacerbated for youth with intersecting identities of being queer and black and brown. Our first-hand experience of witnessing the overrepresentation of queer and black and brown youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems led us to seek out opportunities to create change for and with LGBTQ+ youth. We lead trainings on understanding the needs of this population, write about best practices, develop research projects focused on LGBTQ+ youth, and work to transform systems and policies to better support LGBTQ+ youth.
Read our pivotal study showing overrepresentation of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care; our findings highlight the need to identify youth to support them.
Highlighted Resources
Check out our Pride Month Podcast Series!
- Learning About Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression Animation
- The Importance of Family Support Animation
- Collecting Data on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression in Child Welfare Podcast Series
- LGBTQ+ Populations & 988: Crisis Jam Conversation
Work With Us
We provide training, technical assistance, and implementation support for creating community centered systems for LGBTQ+ children and youth, and their families. Click on one of our focus areas below and contact us for more information on how we can support your work with LGBTQ+ populations.
Policy Consultation
- Safe & Appropriate Grievance Processes
- Disclosure & Confidentiality Protocols
- Data Collection & Documentation Safeguards
- Evidence-Informed Mental Healthcare & Medical Healthcare Standards
- Guidance for LGBTQ+ Family Engagement
- Guidance for Congregate Care
- Guidance on Staff Interactions
- Incident Reporting Guidance
Implementing Safe and Effective Data Collection
- Consultation on confidential strategies to collect and document data
- Staff training and coaching on data collection
- Consultation on how to use data to improve practices for LGBTQ+ people
- Conducting anonymous surveys to gather baseline data on the prevalence and experiences of LGBTQ+ people being served
Training and organizational change efforts
- Building customized training, including interactive eLearnings on LGBTQ+ topics
- Training on coaching and reflective supervision on LGBTQ+ best practices
- Training on working with families of LGBTQ+ young people
- Training on supporting LGBTQ+ people through disclosure
- Training to decrease harmful practices in the workplace
- Building customized resources, such as tipsheets, infographics, guides, toolkits, and animations
