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ABSTRACT
Providing safe and stable placements is a primary focus of the child welfare system in the United States. There are often challenges with finding successful placements for foster youth who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender for reasons related to lack of appropriate placements and resource availability and accessibility. For LGBT foster youth residing in rural placements these issues could be especially true and pose additional hardships. The purpose of this article is to provide child welfare practitioners a framework to assist in the service of LGBT foster youth and considers implications for rural placements. Challenges associated with LGBT foster youth are highlighted, followed by suggestions for future research, policy, and practice approaches to increase successful outcomes for these youth.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Justin Bucchio
Justin Bucchio is an associate professor of Social Work and the Director of the MSW Program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Justin received his PhD from the University of Tennessee in 2012, and has research interests in child welfare, LGBT foster youth and international social work. He has professional practice experience in: child welfare, developmental disabilities (Autism), therapeutic interventions and private in-home services, psychiatric residential treatment, mental health and co-occurring diagnoses, and hospital social work. Justin also specialises in curriculum development and trainings.
V. Nikki Jones
V. Nikki Jones, DSW, LCSW, LMFT, is a collaborator-educator-scholar-practitioner who currently serves as Assistant Professor of Social Work at Spalding University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. Her main research and publication interests are social determinants of sleep disparity among non-majority groups, historical trauma and reparations for African American descendants of U.S. chattel slavery, and issues impacting the LGBTQ community. She has provided direct services to couples and families in private practice and behavioral health settings.
Donna M. Dopwell
Donna M. Dopwell is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Dopwell earned her Ph.D. in Social Service at Fordham University, and has research interests in acculturative stress, intersectionality, diversity and inclusion, as well as empowerment of disenfranchised communities.