National Workgroup to Address the Needs of Children and Youth Who Are LGBTQI2-S and Their Families
About the Workgroup
The Child, Adolescent and Family Branch (CAFB), Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has initiated the National Workgroup to Address the Needs of Children and Youth Who Are LGBTQI2-S and Their Families to support and enhance services for children and youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, or two-spirit (LGBTQI2-S). The workgroup includes a diverse and knowledgeable group of recognized experts and consumers including youth, family members, clinical and human service providers, program administrators, technical assistance providers, evaluators and researchers, cultural and linguistic competence experts, and CAFB and SAMHSA project officers and staff.
Workgroup members help identify specific strategies and interventions that can be applied within the system of care program, and throughout communities across the country. The workgroup helps to guide CAFB efforts to develop policies, programs, materials, and other products that help address the needs of the population of focus. The workgroup meets during conference calls, which are typically bimonthly, in addition to an annual in-person meeting.
The workgroup developed a logic model, which provides the workgroup’s population of focus, purpose, vision, mission, principles, challenges, objectives, and tasks. The workgroup also now has a draft dashboard to facilitate its efforts, including planning and monitoring.
Download the Workgroup Logic Model (PDF)
Workgroup Updates
The National Workgroup’s newsletter offers you and your community a tool to stay informed about what the Workgroup is doing, new LGBTQI2-S resources, and upcoming events. We will disseminate the newsletter four times annually.
Workgroup Activities
The workgroup will continue to meet annually and guide CAFB efforts to develop policies, programs, materials, and other products that will help address the needs of children and youth who are LGBTQI2-S, their families, and LGBT2-S-headed families of children/youth receiving services/supports from SAMHSA grantees. Workgroup members have also committed to continue progressing throughout the year on various tasks and products identified during the meeting.
Current workgroup activities include development of an LGBTQI2-S "culture card," a resource toolkit, technical assistance activities (e.g., responding to community requests, conference presentations), and social marketing activities including workgroup updates with resources and information on workgroup activities. Numerous workgroup members have also contributed chapters to a forthcoming Brookes Publishing, Inc., book: Improving Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes for LGBT Youth: A Guide for Professionals, which will be published in June 2012. The volume is co-edited by Sylvia Fisher, former Workgroup Chair; Jeffrey Poirier of the TA Partnership, and Workgroup Coordinator; and Gary Blau, CAFB Chief.
View the memo summarizing the workgroup's third annual meeting (PDF)