Krishna Desai; American Bar Association 

Keywords: Child Welfare; Resources for Youth

If you are a young adult in foster care, your parents may not be able to take care of you right now or you may have had a breakdown in your relationship. This may not be a permanent problem. During your time in the child welfare system, you and your parents will work on repairing your relationship. In time you may leave the system and reunite with your family. Sometimes you may spend a longer time in care or you may exit the system through adoption, guardianship, or emancipation. 

This handbook:  

• gives you the tools and support to make the best of your experience in the child welfare system; 

• explains your rights, not only as a young adult but also as a LGBTQ individual;  

• explains what you can expect from the child welfare professionals you meet;  

• helps you determine if child welfare professionals are meeting your needs and respecting you; and 

• helps you protect your rights by explaining who you can turn to if your rights are violated and what steps to take. [Summary adapted from resource.] 

File : pdf with 6.32 MB in size

It’s your life: Improving the legal system’s approach to LGBTQ youth in foster care