Tallahassee – Florida’s Department of Children and Families is considering new regulations for group homes where foster kids live, and a Florida Bar workgroup is pushing for better protections for LGBT foster children.
The LGBTQ Child Welfare Workgroup, which receives support from the Florida Bar, sent a 16-page letter to the DCF outlining their recommendations. Robert Latham is the workgroup chair and is also the supervising attorney for the Children & Youth Law Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law.
“DCF has been wonderfully receptive and we’re looking forward to working with them to make sure that any changes that are made are followed up with training and support to make sure that every youth in group homes is safe,” Latham said in an email to Watermark.
The recommendations include privacy and flexibility when it comes to bedroom and bathroom assignments, how to create policies that better protect against discrimination and harassment, what clothing, grooming and hygiene items LGBT children need to be consistent with their gender identity, and how to document children’s status while retaining their privacy. There are also some administrative recommendations, such as updating DCF’s working definitions and terms when it comes to LGBT youth and a discussion on the need for comprehensive staff training on gender identity and sexual orientation.
“Our comments are motivated by our work with LGBTQ children who have taught us that the current group care rules, originally adopted in 1987 and little changed since then, have resulted in extremely negative outcomes for LGBTQ youth in out-of-home care,” the letter reads. “Fortunately, we know much more now about the unique needs and experiences of LGBTQ youth than we did in 1987.”
Once the DCF finalizes their new rules, those standards will be put in place for Florida’s 287 group homes, which house about 11 percent of the state’s foster children.
