Q: I’m working with a transgender young person who identifies as female, but has been placed in a group home for male youth. Does she have the right to be placed in a group home according to her gender identity?
A: Yes, she does have the right to be placed in a group home according to her gender identity. Senate Bill 731 (2015) amended Welfare and Institutions Code to provide transgender children the right to be placed in out-of-home care according to their gender identity, regardless of the gender or sex listed in the court or child welfare records.
What also may be helpful to review, is a question and answer document developed by a group of organizations which provides helpful information and resources for California child welfare professionals to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of transgender and gender non-conforming children in foster care.
Citation:
- Senate Bill 731 (2015)
- Welfare and Institutions Code 16001.9(a)(24)
- “Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Children in California Foster Care”, The Center for the Study of Social Policy, Family Builders & National Center for Lesbian Rights (2016)