Child welfare agencies committed to working with LGBTQ communities must ensure a welcoming, safe environment not only for LGBTQ clients but also LGBTQ staff members. With a reputation as an LGBTQ-friendly employer, agencies can recruit and retain talented employees who seen their own values reflected in the agency’s commitment to inclusion and diversity.

The All Children - All Families Benchmarks of LGBTQ Inclusion focus on workplace inclusion policies and practices in several areas.

Non-Discrimination
The non-discrimination benchmarks include “Employment Non-Discrimination Policies.” This is the foundation for establishing an inclusive workplace. It guarantees equal treatment and opportunity in hiring, promotions and compensation, and informs prospective employees about the agency's values. Furthermore, this policy can help attract diverse staff, which in turn increases your agency's competency in working with all populations. To meet this benchmark, an agency’s employment non-discrimination policy must prohibit employment discrimination based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity." This benchmark is required for all three Tiers of Recognition.

Sustainability & Capacity Building
Agencies may demonstrate innovation with in the Sustainability & Capacity Building benchmarks by sharing information on additional workplace inclusion efforts.

LGBTQ-related workplace inclusion policies and practices in the Agency Self-Assessment include the following:

• Domestic Partner Benefits: Providing health care benefits to domestic partners of benefits-eligible employees.
• Transgender-Inclusive Health Insurance: Providing at least one health plan to all employees that explicitly covers medically necessary services for transgender people.
• Gender Transition Guidelines: Implementing written gender transition guidelines re: supportive policies and practices related to workplace gender transition.
• LGBTQ Employee Recruitment Efforts: Targeting LGBTQ communities in staff hiring/recruitment efforts.
• Other Workplace Innovation: Another example of innovation related to recruiting and retaining LGBTQ employees.

More Resources

• 2-Part Webinar on LGBTQ Workplace Inclusion
• HRC's Workplace Equality Program provides a wealth of additional resources on LGBTQ-inclusion in the workplace, including:
  • Corporate Equality Index
  • "The Cost of the Closet and the Rewards of Inclusion"
  • "The Look Forward" webinar series
  • "A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ Workers Nationwide"