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Robert Friend LCSW, National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness, Seneca Family of Agencies Vida Khavar LMFT, Child Welfare Consultant

Arian Gauff, BS - RISE Family Finder, Los Angeles LGBT Center

Testing What Works to Strengthen Family Relationships for LGBTQ Children and Youth in the Child Welfare System CWLA National Conference April 27-29, 2015

• In September 2010, the Los Angeles LGBT Center was awarded a five-year federal grant to develop and test a model program to address barriers to permanency and well-being for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) children and youth who are in out-of-home care in Los Angeles county.

• The RISE project is developing, implementing, and studying the effects of a comprehensive multi-component intervention to assist Out-Of-Home-Care LGBTQ children and youth achieve emotional and legal permanency in families where they feel safe, nurtured and loved.

Background

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The RISE Project

3 Components:

Outreach and Relationship Building (ORB) intervention, an organizational level component

Los Angeles Foster Youth Survey Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in Foster Care:

Assessing Disproportionality and Disparities in Los Angeles, 2014

Care Coordination Services intervention, a child and family level component

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Outreach and Relationship Building (ORB):

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A training model including materials and LGBTQ Best Practice

guidelines, and a coaching network to increase the skills of

professionals working with LGBTQ youth and families. In order to:

• Enhance the skills of professionals in their competency and

comfort in talking about sexual orientation, gender identity

and gender expression with LGBTQ youth and families.

• Improve child welfare professionals’ responses to youth’s self- disclosure of LGBTQ status.

• Provide a Coaching model for Agencies to follow in regards

to dealing with LGBTQ issues in their own settings.

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FUNDAMENTALS OF CARE COORDINATION

INTERVENTION

Youth who experience:

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Acceptance

Rejection

Name-Calling

Exclusion or

Invisibility

Shaming

Blaming

Empowerment through affection

Advocacy through Intervention

Support

Respect

by being Recognized

• Higher self esteem

• Closer relationships with family

• Believe they can be a healthy happy adult

• Attempted Suicide

• High levels of depression

• Use of illegal drugs

• High risk for HIV and SDTs & STIs

• Loss of relationships

Ryan, C. (2009). Supportive families, healthy children: Helping families with lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender children. San Francisco, CA: Marian Wright Edelman Institute, San Francisco State University. (pp. 9)

● LGBTQ youth encounter more grief and loss

than others because they experience

rejection and discrimination from family,

friends, peers, co-workers, employers,

teachers and other caregivers

● LGBTQ youth have to deal with the coming

out process

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Grief & Loss

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The RISE Project Guiding Principles

• LGBTQ children belong at home with their families and communities

• Families love their children and want the best for their

children

• Family’s culture must be acknowledged and honored

• Strong, affirming communities empower strong affirming

families

• We can rebuild and strengthen severed or strained

connections

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Indicators of Emotional Permanency

Permanency is having relationships that are safe and

meant to last a lifetime

• A place to stay in an emergency

• Emotional support of caring adults

• Family (chosen or bio) who regularly checks in • A place to go for meals, holidays etc.

• Concrete support

LGBTQ Integration Domains

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• Recognizing and being comfortable about the importance of LGBTQ

identity in daily discussions

• Inclusion in regular family and extended family activities “as you are”.

• Allowing for developmentally appropriate self-expression (clothing,

style preferences, hair etc.)

• For transgender youth, the importance of using their correct name

and gender pronoun.

• Encouraging & facilitating developmentally appropriate LGBTQ social

and community services, romantic relationships, and welcoming

LGBTQ friends at home.

• Standing Up and advocating for family members in the face of

LGBTQ bias and adversity (in schools, faith communities, medical

establishments etc.,)

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Care Coordination Services (CCT):

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An adapted model which integrates LGBTQ-specific support strategies with Child & Family Teaming and Family Finding.

In order to:

• Increase LGBTQ accepting behaviors and decrease rejecting

ones.

• Identify & Expand the number of emotionally permanent

connections with adults who are LGBTQ supportive.

• Identify new family connections who can provide support.

• Build a larger network of natural supports.

• Find an adult(s) willing to commit to a legally permanent

relationship.

Care Coordination Services

Eligible children and youth

● LGBTQ and gender non-conforming children and

youth ages 5-19

● With open child welfare cases in foster care or at

home

● Can be dually-involved with the probation system

● Cannot be in a locked setting unless a transition

to a lower level of care is planned

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Care Coordination Services Team is comprised of:

A Facilitator

A Youth Advocate

A Parent Partner

A Family Finder

A Clinician (if needed)

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Care Coordination Services:

5 Essential Functions & Goal

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Connections

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Activity

&

Stories from the field

The Benefits:

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• For the youth: When LGBTQ children are competently identified and

appropriately served, they can achieve safe and stable permanency.

• For the families: When families are offered support and guidance

to help them better understand the identity and expression of the kin,

along with the need for their kin to unconditionally belong, families can provide a more loving and affirming home environment. .

• For the CSWs: Collaboration with a comprehensive team of

professionals and experts in LGBTQ issues, who can offer support and

reduce length of time spent in out-of-home care.

• For the agencies: Free & CCL approved education and support on how

to serve LGBTQ youth and their families and opportunities to network with

other agencies.

Key Observations (Challenges & Success)

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Teams were very protective of youth, fearing re-traumatization via rejection of their orientation, identity or expression. Therefore, teams

cautious to reach out to “family” that weren’t already identified as

affirming.

The youth’s immediate needs & crisis came first. Work tended to be

short-term not long-term focused.

Teams still hesitant to challenge youth who were reluctant to expand their natural support network.

Paperwork was not focused enough on LGBT identity and

permanency.

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Key Observations (Challenges & Success) Cont.

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Teams excel at youth engagement and affirmation, and encouraging youth voice in the process.

Youth feel validated, they report feeling stronger, and their well-

being appears to improve.

Families/Caregivers/Parents also feel validated and want more

education on LGBTQ identity to understand their children.

Reflections on the Process

How is it working?

What is this process telling us that is unique to working with

LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system and their caregivers

and/or families?

What we have learned

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Discussion and Questions…

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Contacts

Bob Friend, LCSW, Director, National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness, Seneca Family of Agencies . bob_friend@senecacenter.org

Vida K. Khavar, LMFT, Child Welfare Consultant, www.vidakhavar.com

vida@vidakhavar.com - 818.458.4050

Arian Gauff, BS - RISE Family Finder, Los Angeles LGBT Center

agauff@lalgbtcenter.org

The RISE Initiative is funded by the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under grant number 90CT0154.

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