HRC Foundation's All Children – All Families program helps child welfare agencies serve LGBTQ children, youth and families with compassion and inclusion.

Post submitted by former HRC Digital Media Manager Helen Parshall

HRC Foundation's All Children – All Families (ACAF) program helps child welfare agencies serve LGBTQ children, youth and families with compassion and inclusion. From a trans woman and her partner exploring adoption, to a single bisexual man interested in foster parenting and the many LGBTQ young people in foster care, the program provides resources and trainings for agencies so they can welcome and support all of the community members they serve.

Alison Delpercio, who manages the ACAF program, is leading an HRC Foundation team that is conducting two weeks of training in Prince George's County, Maryland. More than 250 county staff members will be trained through a collaboration between HRC and the county's Department of Social Services.

This training is part of a larger national effort, known as a Quality Improvement Center, that seeks to “develop, integrate, and sustain best practices and programs that improve outcomes for children and youth in foster care with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.” Through this partnership, the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services will evaluate and implement new staff training and care coordination services for LGBTQ youth.

The training includes the full HRC Foundation All Children – All Families curriculum, which offers both foundational material and advanced content tailored for direct service professionals who work with LGBTQ children, youth and families. Another component of the training will focus on training facilitators, with lessons geared toward public and private child welfare agencies seeking to build their internal capacity to deliver LGBTQ competency training.

To learn more about the National Quality Improvement Center on Tailored Services, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ2S Children and Youth in Foster Care visit http://www.qiclgbtq2s.org.

For more information about HRC Foundation’s All Children – All Families Program, visit www.hrc.org/ACAF. Want to stay up-to-date on program resources and activities? Subscribe to “Field Forward,” ACAF’s monthly e-newsletter, at hrc.im/field-forward.