New Podcast Series Aims to Improve Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Child Welfare Using Data

A new podcast series aims to help the child welfare system ensure safe and affirming care for LGBTQ+ children and youth—a population that is overrepresented in foster care and faces a range of disparities. It focuses on collecting data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) to help this previously invisible population be seen, heard, and prioritized in child welfare.

Listen to all four episodes on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts:

1. Understanding the Importance of SOGIE Data. Elliott Hinkle, B.A., P.S.S., national young adult consultant at the Capacity Building Center for States, talks with Angela Weeks, D.B.A., director of the National SOGIE Center, and Sonia Emerson, a consultant to the Center on racial equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and child welfare. They discuss what SOGIE data is and why it’s important, particularly to young people involved in the child welfare system. Recommended as an introduction to the topic.
2. Implementing Organizational Change. Angela Weeks talks with Jennifer Croessman, M.S.S.A., LISW, and Kori Sewell of the Department of Children and Family Services of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. They discuss the county’s efforts to safely and effectively collect SOGIE data from young people and lessons they learned along the way. Recommended for understanding safe SOGIE data collection and related training, coaching, and supervision at the county level.
3. Storytelling With SOGIE Data. Angela Weeks talks with Shauna Hines-Lucadamo, M.A., and Ellen Kitzerow of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Department of Human Services. They describe their decade-long process to collect SOGIE data and how they used data dashboards to change the way their workforce thought about it. Recommended for understanding SOGIE data use, data collection improvement, and practical decision making in a county or community system.
4. Moving Beyond Data Collection. Angela Weeks talks with Kamora Dawson, CNP, Lemon Pepper, and Jessie Fullenkamp, LMSW, of the Ruth Ellis Center. They discuss their statewide effort to collect SOGIE data with the Michigan Children’s Services Administration, how they grappled with confidentiality, and the top challenges staff identified. Recommended for understanding SOGIE data collection in a state system and its positive impact.

This series was produced in collaboration with the National SOGIE Center on behalf of the Children’s Bureau as part of the Technical Assistance on Evaluation for Discretionary Grant Programs project.