NEW YORK – The American Bar Association (ABA) Center on Children and the Law have announced the launch of The Kids are Listening, a nationwide awareness campaign to help ensure that the thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) children and teens who are in foster care receive the legal rights and protection they deserve and need.
This campaign on behalf of LGBTQ youth in foster care is the first of its kind in the nation and offers free online resources and provides support to legal and social services professionals – from judges to children’s attorneys and social services personnel – who are involved in the foster care community.
Via an online video, The Kids are Listening campaign encourages people of all ages and walks of life to stand up to hate speech and discrimination of LGBTQ youth.
The campaign is part of the ABA Center on Children and the Law’s Opening Doors Project, which was created in 2005 to increase the legal community’s awareness of LGBTQ youth in foster care and the unique issues they face and to provide the legal community with advocacy tools to successfully represent these youth.
“Youth in foster care grapple with serious and often devastating risk factors including substance abuse, health issues, harassment in foster care and school and high suicide rates,” said Mimi Laver, director of the Opening Doors Project and Legal Education at the ABA Center on Children and the Law. “The Kids are Listening campaign is about creating much-needed awareness in communities across America and teaching them how to address issues of bullying and discrimination to LGBTQ youth in a way that can be immediately implemented. We can all make a difference in the lives of these vulnerable children and teens – judges, lawyers, child welfare professionals, teachers, guidance counselors and community members alike.”
Research conducted by the ABA Center on Children and the Law has found that LGBTQ youth are less safe in foster care than other children and teens; have less of a chance of being reunified with their families or getting adopted; and their health, emotional health and educational needs are not being met.
The Kids are Listening video and resources are available for free at thekidsarelistening.org.
