Know Your Rights for Providers Working with LGBTQ Youth in Care

Kelsey Pacha

Training Description

This training will educate providers about the laws that protect LGBTQ youth in care in California, as well as alert them to procedures for reporting anti-LGBTQ discrimination and how to support a client’s name and/or gender change. Participants will participate in a group assessment regarding knowledge of these laws, learn procedures for filing various types of discrimination reports, and complete a case study in small groups. They will also consider what recourse a client at their agency (or other context) may have in reporting discrimination against a fellow provider and strategize about how to support such clients in advocacy.

Learning Objectives

• Test our knowledge about laws that protect LGBTQ youth in care in CA.
• Discuss laws that protect LGBTQ youth in the foster care and educational systems in CA.
• Learn about name and gender change processes and resources to support you if you are pursuing a name and/or gender change.
• Learn how to fill out name and gender change paperwork, how to file a discrimination complaint within the CA public school system, and how to make a report against a provider.

Agenda

9:00-9:05    Introductions: name, GP, professional role. Personal action plan.

9:05-9:25       Gallery walk activity—participants identify their questions about LGBTQ identities, laws, supporting changing legal documents, and how to protect clients from discrimination.

9:25-9:45       Review basic premises about LGBTQ identities and LGBTQ overrepresentation in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. Best practices for working with LGBTQ clients.

9:45-10:05 Legal true/false activity.

10:05-10:25 Laws that protect foster care youth against discrimination in foster care system. Law fact sheet.

10:25-10:45 Working backwards activity: What would an LGBTQ client need to do to report harassment or discrimination? What would be your role in such a report?

10:45-11:05 Laws that protect LGBTQ youth in school.

11:05-11:30 Name and gender change laws/procedures.

11:30-11:50 How can you advocate for your clients? (Best practices.)

11:50-12:45 Case studies with filling out paperwork—three groups: Name/gender change, reporting discrimination at school, and reporting discrimination with a provider. Review how to fill out paperwork, split into groups, and small group work on case study with share-out.

12:45-1:00 Q&A and wrap up; Course Evaluations

Meet Our Trainer

Kelsey Pacha is a queer-identified transman who has worked with LGBTQ people for 15years, primarily in non-profit settings. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and holds an M.A. in Religion and Psychology, a Master of Divinity, and a Certificate in Sexuality and Religion from Pacific School of Religion, located in Berkeley, CA.Kelsey is passionate about educating would-be allies and empowering LGBTQ people through educational trainings. He has offered LGBTQ inclusivityand cultural humilitytrainings for corporations, clinicians, non-profits, schools (preschool-college age), senior facilities, and for providers working with system-involved youth. He has also developed curricula for LGBTQ youth programs, faith communities, and presented at conferences across the country. Kelsey is the Board PresidentofTrans Bodies,Trans Selves,which publishes a 649-page resource guide by and for the trans*, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming communities. He is currently writing a chapter, editing another, and serving as the Survey Editor for the second edition of the book, to be released in June 2021.

This course meets the qualifications for (4) BBS CEUs for LCSWs and MFTs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.