Foster Parents' Perspectives on LGB Youth in the Child Welfare System

This study reports data from focus groups with foster parents where they discussed their experiences and concerns about diffi-cult-to-place children. Foster parents expressed a range of concerns about the placement of a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) child in their home and tended to hold homophobic beliefs about the population in general. Analysis of the focus group data found that this group of foster parents had significant fears about the placement of a LGB child who was LGB in their home. Implications are discussed concerning the educational role social workers play in helping foster parents learn and develop an understanding of these children in care, as well as for direct education for social workers themselves.