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Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Families in Adoption
Series: Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s):
Child Welfare Information Gateway
|
Year Published: 2011 |
During the last decade, there has been increasing visibility of families headed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) parents. There also has been more affirming practice on the part of child welfare and adoption professionals when considering LGBT families as foster and adoptive families. The majority of professional organizations dedicated to upholding the best interests of children and advocating for best practices in adoption concur that there is no valid reason to prevent children and youth from being placed with qualified LGBT foster and adoptive families.1 A growing number of adoption agencies and professionals have been proactive in welcoming LGBT adoptive families, and they have yielded a larger pool of highly motivated and qualified prospective foster and adoptive parents and expanded the options for permanency for children.
However, in many parts of the country, the LGBT community remains a largely untapped resource, and bias and discomfort among professionals continue to present obstacles for waiting children to have permanent homes with potential LGBT adoptive parents. What stands in the way for many professionals is misinformation and myths about the LGBT community and inexperience with LGBT parents and families.
This bulletin is designed to help child welfare and adoption professionals expand their cultural competence and build their skills for working effectively and fairly with LGBT families as prospective adoptive parents. It examines issues, laws, and policies on LGBT families in adoption. Specific examples and tips are highlighted throughout the bulletin.
Table of Contents
1 - Getting to know the LGBT community
3 - Advantages of including LGBT adoptive families
4 - Tips for effective recruitment/retention
5 - Challenges faced by LGBT adoptive parents
6 - Challenges in working with LGBT families
7 - Tips for representing LGBT families as potential adoptive parents
8 - The "T" (transgender) in LGBT
9 - The basics of creating a welcoming agency
10 - References
This bulletin was developed by Child Welfare Information Gateway, in partnership with Ellen Kahn, Director of the Human Rights Campaign Family Project, and was adapted from All Children—All Families Promising Practices Guide, 3rd Edition, © 2009 Human Rights Campaign Foundation, with permission. This document is made possible by the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The conclusions discussed here are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views or policies of the funding agency.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2011). Working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families in adoption. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.
1For instance, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1999), American Academy of Family Physicians (2002), American Academy of Pediatrics (2002), American Medical Association (2004), American Psychological Association (2004), Child Welfare League of America (1988), National Association of Social Workers (1998), North American Council on Adoptable Children (1998), and Voice for Adoption (2006).Back
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.