Youth, Family & Caregiver Programing
Agencies serving children, youth, young adults, and their families should provide services that meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ populations. Programs that are specific to the populations' needs take into consideration the complexities of disclosing LGBTQ+ identities, the possible rejection from family and friends, and affirming medical care many LGBTQ+ need. Below are several manualized and evidence-informed programs available to your agency or practice. Click the prorgrams to learn more about them.
Click on the Links Below to Learn More About Programming you can Bring to your Agency
Family & Caregiver Programming
Tip Sheets for Working with LGBTQ+ Youth and their Families
The Tip Sheets below were created by a diverse group of stakeholders across the country doing work with LGBTQ+ youth and their families as part of the QIC-LGBTQ2S. After years of implementing services with these populations, the stakeholders collaborated on these Tip Sheets to pass along their successful practices and lessons learned.
History of the QIC-LGBTQ2S
The National Quality Improvement Center on Tailored Services, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ2S Children and Youth in Foster Care (QIC-LGBTQ2S) was a program lead by the The Institute for Innovation and Implementation, at the University of Maryland School of Social Work (The Institute). The project was funded by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families’ Children’s Bureau to improve permanency, stability, and wellbeing for youth in foster care who identified as LGBTQ2S.
Over the course of 5 years, the QIC-LGBTQ2S partnered with four Local Implementation Sites: Allegheny County, Michigan, Cuyahoga County, and Prince George’s County. Together, the sites, program purveyors, and the Institute developed, implemented, and evaluated several best practices and programs for LGBTQ+ youth and their families. The result of the five-year effort was the development and refinement of 9 manualized and evidence-informed interventions that can now be replicated in similar settings. In addition to developing these programs, sites also engaged in several initiative to create policies and SOGIE data collection initiatives.