Post submitted by Jean-Phillipe Regis, Senior Manager, Children, Youth & Families Program

As part of HRC’s All Children – All Families (ACAF) project celebration of this year’s National Adoption Month, the team thanked 65 adoption and foster care agencies around the country that have earned “Leader status” for their commitment to providing welcoming and affirming services to the LGBTQ community. You can check out a list of LGBTQ-inclusive agencies here.

For a decade now, the ACAF project has served the child welfare field, removing barriers for LGBTQ adults to become foster/adoptive parents, and improving services for LGBTQ youth currently in out-of-home care. Are you interested in adoption or foster care? Know an LGBTQ person who is? At the bottom of this post, check out the 15 ACAF resources we shared this month that can be helpful.

In connection with HRC’s celebration of Transgender Awareness Week, ACAF released a new guide for child welfare professionals working with trans and non-binary foster and adoptive parents. HRC also released a video highlighting the unique strengths of trans and non-binary parents and the importance of this new guide for families like the one featured here.

HRC also spoke with Jo and Gina Jakeway, the first same-sex couple to adopt in Ohio. In this video they discuss the importance of providing loving homes to foster youth.

While this celebration may be ending, you can always find resources on HRC’s adoption page, including key questions you should ask if considering adoption and our Adoption Options Overview.

Want to stay up-to-date on All Children - All Families resources and activities? Subscribe to “Field Forward,” the program’s monthly e-newsletter at hrc.im/field-forward.