FreeState Justice announced on
August 4 that the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR) released a
policy directive outlining key protections for LGBTQ foster youth. DHR developed
the new directive in consultation with the Youth Equality Alliance (YEA), a
policy coalition of service providers, nonprofits, government agencies, and
individuals advocating for LGBTQ youth in Maryland, coordinated by FreeState
Justice.
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This action is expected to impact
the lives of countless Maryland youth in foster care, according to Saida
Agostini, Director of Community Engagement and Youth Policy for FreeState
Justice, and YEA coordinator.
The directive establishes clear
protections for LGBTQ youth in out-of-home care. Most notably, the directive
mandates that a transgender and gender non-conforming youth’s sex assigned at
birth cannot be the basis for the placement of the young person in a
sex-segregated housing assignment. Rather, placement in congregate care must
take into consideration the individual health and safety needs of the young
person. In addition, local departments of social services must vet all placements for all openly LGBTQ-identified youth in care to ensure that placements are LGBTQ-affirming, and may not coerce LGBTQ youth into so-called “conversion therapy” to “change” their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Among other highlights, the
policy directive outlines procedures for caseworkers to assess the safety of
placements as well as other resource providers, makes explicit that youth are
permitted to dress and groom themselves consistent with their gender identity
and expression, and provides that youth should be called by their preferred
name and pronouns.
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The new policy directive, which
is titled “Policy SSA-CW #17-08: Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth and Families,” is available from DHR’s
website.
Formed in May 2013, YEA members
include FreeState Justice, Advocates for Children and Youth, PFLAG
Columbia-Howard County, The Frederick Center, Homeless Persons Representation
Project, STAR TRACK Adolescent Health Program at University of Maryland School
of Medicine, and the Baltimore Child Abuse Center.
For more information about the
Youth Equality Alliance, and its advocacy work, visit here.
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