Diverse SOGIE Training Series: Data Collection: How to Ask About SOGIE In Systems of Care

Three CEU Credits (Social Work): Approved by the NASW-Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative. Please check with your local accrediting body for reciprocity.

Increasingly federal and state systems of care are requiring SOGIE data collection, and many agencies are not prepared. Additionally, the absence of SOGIE visibility can be a barrier for referrals to agencies who are equipped to serve LGBTQ+ people. This training focuses on how LGBTQ+ identity can impact the way people prioritize voice and choice in service delivery. Participants are introduced to examples of SOGIE data collection as well as the process of asking about SOGIE with a person centered and trauma-informed approach. This training is especially relevant to people facilitating intake, assessment, data management, quality assurance, and administrators who support practice and policy change.

This training series is interactive, and participants are asked to be on camera and able to interact with other participants through video, audio, and chat periodically. While this is an expectation of the training, we understand that there can be barriers to this type of involvement. Reach out to the trainers ahead of time at for more information or accommodations.

Objectives

• Why we are discussing SOGIE (statistics, evidence-based practices, personal narratives)
• Participants will know how to ask about SOGIE using a trauma-informed approach
• Participants will be able to help LGBTQ people they serve addressing discrimination within housing or facilities under the jurisdiction of HUD and DOJ

Who Should Participate

• Professionals who work with children, youth, young adults, and/or families who have previous introductory knowledge on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression
• Participants can be individuals who directly with others or be involved in supervision, management, and leadership
• Organizations working with HUD and/or DOJ (case managers, social workers, foster parents, case supervisors, program staff, program managers, program directors, quality assurance)

Courses in this Series

SOGIE 101
Tuesday, May 23 from 1-4 p.m. ET

LGBTQ Visibility and Housing in Systems of Care
Wednesday, May 24 from 1-4 p.m. ET

Family Support with LGBTQ Children
Thursday, May 25 from 1-4 p.m. ET

Gender Affirming Care
Friday, May 26 from 1-4 p.m. ET

About the Training Series

Ruth Ellis Institute has developed the following training content through researching how adult practitioners, government health and human service employees, and staff at community-based organizations leverage their existing experience to integrate more affirming practices for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

The development of this curriculum is embedded within a LGBTQ-specific direct service organization, ensuring that on-the-ground implementation is informing training content. Ruth Ellis’ model connects:

• Youth and their families lived experience
• Direct practice
• Research and evaluation
• Coaching and consulting
• Policy and regulations

Content in LGBTQ Visibility and Housing in Systems of Care has been developed under a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (2019-2021) internal review board through two pilots with foster care workers and their supervisors. The Ruth Ellis Institute surveyed over 120 participants through a pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow up to measure Asking About SOGIE knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors tied to the training content. Additionally, these participants SOGIE data entry was followed, baseline to six months, to learn more about the training’s impact on behavior outcomes. Finally, there were two sets of focus groups facilitated at the end of each pilot to hear from units of workers who entered and did not enter SOGIE data. The curriculum features content where there were statistically significant changes in participants outcomes regarding increased competency in asking about SOGIE.