Working with LGBTQ+ Families in Foster Care and Adoption (1 credit hour)

Program Summary:   This course examines supportive practices for working with LGBTQ+ families in foster care and adoption and offers guidance for building trusting and successful relationships. The course describes the advantages and challenges of engaging, recruiting, and helping LGBTQ+  families and aims to strengthen cultural competence for child welfare professionals.  Suggestions for creating a welcoming and affirming agency are given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

“Book  Open the Course Reading Here.

Course Reading:  Working with LGBTQ+ Families in Foster Care and Adoption

Publisher:  Children’s Bureau

Course Objectives:  To enhance professional practice, values, skills and knowledge by exploring supportive practices when working with LGBTQ+ families in foster care and adoption.

Learning Objectives:  Describe advantages of engaging and recruiting LGBTQ+ families.  Identify tips for effective recruitment and retention.  Describe the basics of creating a welcoming and affirming agency.

Review our pre-reading study guide.

Course Available Until: June 30, 2026.

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1: The "A" in LGBTQIA stands for
 
 
 
 
2: The 2015 Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges ensures
 
 
3: Child welfare professional can anticipate ____________ variation among members of LGBTQ+ resource families.
 
 
4: The gender identity of youth _____________ by having LGBTQ+ adoptive parents.
 
 
5: For public agencies, ___________ the pool of qualified resource families is a high priority and essential for meeting the permanency goals of children and youth in foster care.
 
 
6: Best practices dictate that
 
 
 
7: The ___________________ outlines that a social worker has a responsibility to be "sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and (to) strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice.
 
 
 
 
8: Using the Gender Unicorn, which of the following is an example of gender expression?
 
 
 
 
9: When prospective LGBTQ+ parents begin their journey toward fostering or adoption, they often look for an agency that
 
 
10: Welcoming and affirming agencies should have _____________ policies that describe appropriate practices with LGBTQ+ clients.
 
 

In order to purchase or take this course, you will need to log in. If you do not have an account, you will need to register for a free account.

After you log in, a link will appear here that will allow you to purchase this course.

Working with LGBTQ+ Families in Foster Care and Adoption, Course #4599, is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Free State Social Work, LLC as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: 12/08/2022 - 12/08/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 1 Cultural Competence continuing education credit.

G.M. Rydberg-Cox, MSW, LSCSW is the Continuing Education Director at Free State Social Work and responsible for the development of this course.  She received her Masters of Social Work in 1996 from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience.  She has lived and worked as a social worker in Chicago, Boston, and Kansas City. She has practiced for many years in the area of hospital/medical social work.  The reading materials for this course were developed by another organization.