Foster Care Training

This training is designed for caregivers and professionals to understand the challenges LGBTQ community face within the foster care system. Like all young people, LGBTQ youth in foster care need the support of a nurturing family to help them negotiate adolescence and grow into healthy adults. However, LGBTQ youth in foster care face additional challenges. This course addresses common misconceptions about sexual orientation and gender identity, it teaches participants about the unique risks that LGBTQ youth face and the important role care takers and social workers can play in reducing those risks, and it provides tips for creating a welcoming home for LGTBQ youth. Participants will achieve basic competency with the community, including an understanding of terminology and experiences relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Objectives:

1. Participants will improve their understanding of appropriate terminology relating to the LGBTQ community, and will explore common experiences of LGBTQ foster youth.
2. Participants will learn to distinguish between sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
3. Participants will be able to identify the similarities of LGBTQ foster youth and other youth in care.
4. Participants will learn the importance and need of foster parents to open up their home to LGTBQ youth in foster care.