Services should have a strong focus on parents/families to strengthen family life, prevent and reduce incidents of child maltreatment, divert youth from entering the Family Court system, prevent foster care placements and hasten the return home of children already in placement. Extensive outreach and connection is needed to engage families and may extend to those parents/families trust to make referrals. Services are to be primarily provided to parents/families of LGBTQ+ youth and may also include the youth where appropriate. Services should integrate both a youth and parent/family focus, be culturally relevant, have a strong outreach plan, and include foster parents and child welfare workers. Included services should focus on the following areas: • Education for parents/families, as well as foster care providers to help them understand, support and advocate for their children/the children in their care • Support to help parents/families process their own responses to their child’s identity and the impact on their own relationships • Parent/family peer support – individual and/or group • Resource identification and awareness, as well as connections with culturally relevant support • Systems navigation for systems involved youth Services may also include: • Opportunities for inter-generational interactions and relationship building between older LGBTQ+ community members and LGBTQ+ youth. • Family social opportunities to develop informal connections and supports. • Youth peer support.
