On Monday, March 28th, 2022, Think of Us hosted a Town Hall with the Children’s Bureau. Speakers included representatives of the Administration, Aysha E. Schomburg, Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau, and people with the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ youth.
Associate Commissioner Schomburg echoed other speakers’ sentiments of standing behind LGBTQ+ children and families especially in the face of recent legislation, stating that the Bureau prioritizes building equity in the child welfare system. Pursuit of this mission, she says, looks like working towards four priority goals the Bureau has laid out. These are 1) preventing children from entering foster care, 2) support for kinship caregivers, 3) ensuring youth leave care with strengthened relationships, holistic supports and opportunities, and 4) investing in the child welfare workforce.
Schomburg expanded on each of these important and urgent goals in turn, outlining further plans. She emphasized that all efforts towards progress must be accompanied by conversations regarding equity and involve diverse parties at the table.
