From Our Perspectives: Untold Stories of Lgbtq Youth in Foster Care in Los Angeles County (WITHDRAWN)

Background and Purpose:

19% of youth in the foster care system in Los Angeles County identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or queer) and the majority are youth of color. Many experience discrimination and violence related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity before, during and after care. In addition, they are more than twice as likely to live in a group home, have a higher average number of home placements, are twice as likely to report being treated poorly by the foster care system, and experience multiple barriers when they age-out of the system (Wilson, Cooper, Kastanis, & Nezhad, 2014).

Research regarding youth’s experiences of aging out of foster care indicates that they encounter disproportionate rates of homelessness and poverty, and are at increased likelihood for poor mental health outcomes (Antcil et al. 2007). However, to date there has been little research exploring the specific experiences of LGBTQ identified youth who have aged out of the foster care system.  This paper helps to fill that gap by exploring life histories of LGBTQ former foster youth in Los Angeles County.

Methods:

Narrative approaches were merged with photovoice methodology to better understand the reasons behind the overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system in LA County, and LGBTQ youth’s experiences of aging out.  Photovoice entails giving cameras to individuals who use photography to identify, represent, and enhance their communities (Wang & Burris, 1997). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 LGBTQ former foster youth between the ages of 18-26. Interviews allowed participants to narrate their histories and pathways into and out of the foster care system, and photovoice provided the opportunity for youth to visually represent their experiences. Interviews and photographs were analyzed by using a Consensual Qualitative Research coding process (Hill et al., 2005).

Findings:

Findings reveal that LGBTQ youth often enter the foster care system for reasons related to parental mental health and substance abuse. Within foster care, youth commonly experienced discrimination and placement disruption related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Participants also reported school disruption related to a confluence of factors including multiple foster placements, school based harassment, and lack of family support. Post-foster care, youth often found themselves homeless, returning to live with families of origin, or living in transitional housing.  Additional findings include pervasive substance abuse and mental health struggles for LGBTQ former foster youth.

Many participants demonstrated incredible resilience that they attributed to strong mentorship, creative outlets, such as writing and dance, and LGBTQ community engagement. Participants offered incisive and nuanced suggestions for improvements to make the child welfare system more LGBTQ affirming.

Conclusions and Implications:

Findings highlight the need for LGBTQ competency training for social workers and other child welfare practitioners. Additionally, data points towards the need for jurisdictions to proactively recruit both LGBTQ identified and LGBTQ affirming foster parents, and to implement family acceptance counseling with both foster families and families of origin. Finally, policy implications include the extension of aging out benefits and the passage of non-discrimination policies.