LGBTQ Services
All Children Deserve a Safe & Caring Home.
Walden is very proud of our policies and practices of LGBTQ inclusion. As members of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) All Children-All Families project, we are committed to serving children and prospective parents in the LGBTQ community.
Walden encourages staff, resource families and our community partners to understand and serve the needs of LGBTQ foster youth in the Southern California communities we serve.
What We Do
We educate the communities we serve about the needs of LGBTQ foster children and youth through cultural competency training. Every Walden resource family receives the training, and we regularly conduct awareness and outreach programs for county social service agencies and private foster care providers.
We also educate the LGBTQ community about the need for certified foster and adoptive parents so we can ensure that a family is available for every youth who needs one.
Walden Family Services has achieved HRC Foundation Innovator status, the highest recognition available, for our commitment to all children and families.
Why It Matters
LGBTQ foster youth are often harassed, victimized, stigmatized or displaced from their homes because of their gender and sexual identity. As a result, they are more likely to experience depression or attempt suicide than other youth in the child welfare system. They are less likely to find a permanent, loving family than other children and youth in foster care.
- LGBTQ youth are highly overrepresented in foster care.
- 25-40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ.
Resource families who create an environment for young people who identify as LGBTQ are essential to ensuring that these youth discover their unique identities and talents without fear of rejection, shame, and humiliation.
ALL CHILDREN DESERVE A FAMILY THAT RESPECTS THEIR NEEDS, RIGHTS AND IDENTITY.
