A Glimpse Within: An Exploratory Study of Child Welfare Agencies’ Practices With LGBTQ Youth

Abstract

This article presents findings from a national survey of agency members of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) with respect to organizational culture and service delivery for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Sixty-seven study participants provided quantitative and qualitative data via an Internet questionnaire. Overall, agencies fall short of fully subscribing to recommendations made by the CWLA. They could improve their support for providing an inclusive environment, creating supportive policies, and selecting childcare providers regardless of sexual orientation/gender identity. In addition, agencies varied with respect to the relative emphasis that services geared specifically for LGBTQ should occur. Although some progress has been made, much work remains for child welfare agencies to fully address the needs of LGBTQ youth.

KEYWORDS:

• child welfare
• LGBTQ youth
• service delivery
• organizational change

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank Rob Woronoff and Floyd Alwon with the Child Welfare League of America for their support of this research, as well as Gary Anderson for his helpful comments on the manuscript.