Reducing Inequalities Between Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Adolescents and Cisgender, Heterosexual Adolescents Proceedings of a Workshop (2022) / Chapter Skim
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3 Promising Interventions in Personal, Carceral, and Care Systems
3 Promising Interventions in Personal, Carceral, and Care Systems
Pages 27-38
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From page 27... ...
LGBTQ youth in foster care face mental health and substance abuse disparities, educational disparities, and heightened barriers when they age out of the system. Within the juvenile justice system, said Bianca Wilson (UCLA)
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From page 28... ...
The impacts for child welfare and juvenile justice system-involved youths, said Mountz, are poorer health and wellness outcomes, lack of access to opportunities, ensnarement in punitive systems, exposure to interpersonal and state violence, and impaired transitions to adulthood. Despite these disparities and challenges, Mountz noted that these youths can flourish and become leaders in community initiatives that provide support and networks for themselves and others.
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From page 29... ...
In addition, participants spoke more often about harms experienced while in the foster care system than about harms stemming from their families of origin. Young people who identify as trans, nonbinary, or gender expansive reported experiencing even greater harms in the system, such as a lack of access to appropriate resources and medical care, and a profound lack of competency among workers and caregivers with regard to gender-affirming language and practices.
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From page 30... ...
PROMISING INTERVENTIONS Following the presentations on the landscape of systems research and potential areas for intervention, a panel of speakers presented information about specific interventions to improve the health and well-being of child welfare and juvenile justice system-involved LGBTQ youth. Juvenile Carceral System Intervention: Youth Justice Agency Policies and Professional Development Bernadette Brown (B.
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From page 31... ...
Staff soon realized that making the facility safer for this trans girl also made the facility safer for everyone else and made staff roles easier, said Brown. Brown identified several actions that are critical for improving the health and well-being of LGBTQ youth in juvenile justice facilities: • Aligning new LGBTQ-supporting policies and procedures with the core values of the facilities (e.g., the "three C's": care, custody, and control, or the "three S's" of safety, security, and supervision)
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From page 32... ...
Brown encouraged LGBTQ centers to continue to develop a strong racial justice lens and to find ways to support and serve system-involved youths. Brown concluded her remarks by highlighting key lessons, including the time-intensive nature of cultivating relationships with agencies, the importance of being aware of juvenile corrections staff unions and their views on new policies, and the need for more housing options for youths returning from incarceration.
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From page 33... ...
While information about gender and sexual identity is highly sensitive, said Guidetti, child welfare systems already collect and protect a great deal of other sensitive information about children, such as history of sexual abuse. The ACLU eventually identified a number of LGBTQ youth by working with community service providers, state contractors, and a statewide LGBTQ specialist.
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From page 34... ...
First, he suggested that collecting data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is critical for enforcement of nondiscrimination policies, for protecting youth, and for comparing outcomes against non-LGBTQ peers. LGBTQ youth cannot be protected if no one knows who they are, and every young person who comes out deserves a safe and affirming placement, said Guidetti.
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From page 35... ...
In addition, DCFS is establishing an LGBTQ Youth Advisory Board, which Guidetti said is the direct result of decision makers realizing the importance of listening to the stories and perspectives of young people in the system. Child Welfare System: National Quality Improvement Center Angela Weeks (University of Maryland School of Social Work)
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From page 36... ...
Rather than recognizing this gap, service providers may instead label a family as "impossible." The final lesson from Weeks' work is that staff discomfort can present a key challenge to collecting data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. She noted that, while child welfare staff often ask very personal questions of young people and their families, conversations around sex and gender are new and staff require support to incorporate these questions into their work.
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From page 37... ...
Given the ongoing discussions about abolishing police, closing youth detention centers, and ending foster care as we know it, she asked speakers to discuss the opportunities and drawbacks for LGBTQ youth of color in the interventions highlighted by the panelists. Canfield emphasized the importance of contextualizing this work in the current political climate and allowing young advocates to set the tone for future work in the field.
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From page 38... ...
Making structural changes to the system itself is an overwhelming and difficult process, but Weeks expressed gratitude that some agencies are engaging in this work. Another workshop participant noted that Latinx and Black girls in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are at high risk of multiple negative outcomes and these disparities persist into adulthood; the participant asked speakers to comment on the unique factors that may increase these risks.
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