18287.
(a) On or before July 1, 2023, the State Department of Social Services shall establish a five-year pilot program, known as the Youth Acceptance Project (YAP), for the purpose of increasing permanency outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or plus (LGBTQ+) and gender-expansive youth in up to five counties, which shall be selected to participate on a voluntary basis in the pilot program according to criteria developed by the department pursuant to this section, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the nonprofit organization Family Builders by Adoption, and other relevant stakeholders with expertise in issues relating to LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive youth. Counties selected to participate in the pilot shall include, at a minimum, one county in southern California, one county in northern California, and one county in a rural area of the state.(b) Subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for the purpose of implementing this section, the department shall work in consultation with Family Builders by Adoption and other relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to, tribal organizations, homeless continuums of care, community-based LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive organizations, and educational institutions, to assist participating counties in providing LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive youth, and their families who are struggling with accepting the youth’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression (SOGIE), with advocacy, therapeutic-style support, and other necessary and appropriate intervention services. To receive services through the YAP, the youth shall meet at least one of the following descriptions:
(1) The youth receives child welfare services or is at risk of entering foster care.
(2) The youth is homeless or is at risk of homelessness.
(c) Counties selected to participate in the pilot program shall provide services that meet all of the following requirements:
(1) Be provided by a clinician or social worker using a trauma-informed, psychoeducational model that is intentionally responsive to the families’ experiences within their own culture, religion, and race to address the misinformation, resistance, fear, and grief with which families often struggle in relation to a youth’s SOGIE.
(2) Be designed to increase, when possible, acceptance among an LGBTQ+ or gender-expansive youth’s parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, extended family members, other caregivers, tribal leaders, social workers, and additional staff involved in the youth’s care, as applicable.
(3) Be designed to provide holistic external supports for LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive youth, including the provision of housing and homelessness services and coordination with the homelessness response system to provide, when necessary and to the extent not in conflict with federal or state law, a safe and comfortable alternative to living with caregivers who are not accepting of the youth’s SOGIE.
(4) Emphasize all of the following:
(A) Approaching caregivers and important adults in a culturally humble manner as people who need additional information and personalized support to be the affirming advocating caregivers that LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive youth need them to be.
(B) Recognizing that caregivers often experience complex emotions in response to a youth’s SOGIE journey.
(C) Believing that, with the proper support, caregivers can and do change.
(D) Providing accurate information to refute myths and misinformation about LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive identities.
(E) Supporting caregivers in identifying their core beliefs and feelings about LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive identities and helping them work through related emotions.
(F) Advocating for youth and their families in various settings and communities.
(d) (1) The department shall submit a report to the Legislature with an evaluation of the pilot program.
(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “At risk of entering foster care” has the same meaning as defined in Section 727.4.
(2) “At risk of homelessness” has the same meaning as defined in Section 11360(1) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(3) “Child welfare services” has the same meaning as defined in Section 16501.
(4) “Gender expansive” means an umbrella term to describe individuals who expand notions of gender expression and identity beyond binary gender norms.
(5) “Homeless” has the same meaning as defined in Section 16523.
(6) “Youth” means an individual who is between 3 and 21 years of age, inclusive.