Affirming Care for Adoption and Foster Youth: A Clinician’s Guide to Essential Considerations for Working with LGBTQIA + Youth

In this paper, we overview the unique clinical considerations that clinical social workers must consider when engaging with LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender diverse, expansive, queer, intersex, asexual, and all others to come) in foster care. First, we overview the prevalence of and challenges to LGBTQIA + youth in foster care, revealing the overrepresentation resulting from family rejection and discrimination. Next, we underscore the significance of training foster parents in delivering appropriate and affirming care, recognizing caregivers’ substantial influence over the well-being of adopted and foster youth. Lastly, we underscore the critical role undertaken by child welfare and mental health professionals in facilitating the identity development and expression of LGBTQIA + youth and their foster families.