Families Like Ours (FLO), has been able to expand our specialized recruitment SAFE project to find adoptive families for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBT&Q) Washington State foster youth. Through grants and direct donations, we are now able to hire a full time youth recruiter. 

Since 2003 FLO has been called upon to consult with, and find permanent homes for Washington State LGBT&Q foster youth. Much of this work has been a side note to their primary focus of supporting pre and post adoptive-foster families.

Current reports indicate that 14.5% of Washington foster youth are self identifying as LGBT&Q. The problems these youth and their professional team’s encounter can create additional instability for the youth, manifesting itself in added behavioral, and educational, emotional and even life threatening concerns. This project is designed to bring stability to these youth and encourage self recognition of their own personal worth, and show them the possibility of a bright future.

The team at FLO will be working directly with the youth’s DSHS team, ensuring LGBT&Q cultural competencies while seeking permanent families for youth in question. While a family is being sought, their team will be preparing the child for adoption. Once that adoptive family has been found, wraparound services will be put into place to further support the youth and family.

While this is a State wide project, FLO will be concentrating their efforts within the metro Puget Sound community. The project is designed to work with front line social service professionals, primarily with youth needing permanency. Families that would like to learn more about LGBT&Q foster youth needing adoption are encouraged to contact FLO directly at 206-441-7602 or email.

During 2011, FLO was called upon to provide resources, support, permanancy planning and advocacy on several transgender and GID foster youth cases. In November 2011 GLSEN and NCTE released a Model School District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.

Here at FLO we’ve added this resource into our tool box and recommend that families, professionals and educators take a close look at this very well written document.