B1 - All Children – All Families: Creating an LGBTQ Welcoming Agency to Improve Services and Outcomes for Youth and Families

The Human Rights Campaign’s All Children – All Families (ACAF) program helps agencies recruit and retain LGBTQ parents for children in care. The program has also been broadened to include LGBTQ youth benchmarks and training. The experiences of Devereux Arizona’s foster care programs in achieving the ACAF Seal of Recognition and the organizations efforts to enhance LGBTQ cultural competence will be shared.  Workshop participants will become acquainted with the ACAF program and learn more about the new LGBTQ youth component which is appropriate for various youth-serving agencies including: RHY, residential care, juvenile justice, transitional living, and schools. Participants will also receive step-by-step practical tips and useful resources to assist in developing their own organizational efforts in support of LGBTQ youth and families.

Presenters: Chris Downs, Downs Group, LLC, Seattle, WA; Ellen Kahn, Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC; and Yvette Jackson, Devereux Arizona, Tucson, AZ