INTERCULTURAL

EXCHANGE

Provided by the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy

June 2026 | Legislative News, Trainings, and Resources

Feature

Understanding and Woking with African American Families & Culture

Working with African American Culture & Families

Greetings! My name is Richard Coleman. I am an African American man, a husband, a father and a beloved grandpa. While I am honored to be the supervisor of the Learner Development Team at the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), I am also very passionate about protecting children and families, especially those of color. I consider myself to be an anti-racist and a social justice warrior who is determined to assist in the dismantling of systemic oppression.

I also love to spend time with family and traveling. In honor and celebration of Juneteenth and the passing of the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act (MAAFPCWDA), I invite you to watch my video presentation regarding how to effectively protect children and families of color throughout Minnesota. I thank you all for your time and support in advance!

Video Presentation Markers:

0:33 - Things to Note Before We Get Started

1:15 - Learning Objectives of Video

2:45 - Affiliation with this Work

5:30 - Overview of African American (AA) in the U.S

7:35 - What is AA Culture

9:25 - Being Black Is An Experience

10:50 - Societal Culture & Interdependence

12:44 - Home Culture

20:35 - History of Oppression of AAs

24:22 - Impact of Racism for AAs

25:22 - General CW Practice

25:59 - What Is Family

31:52 - Family Conflicts and Family Problems

32:58 - Engaging and Understanding AA Fathers

MAAFPCWDA Training Update

With the recent launch of Addressing Disparities and Disproportionality: MAAFPCWDA (CWTA X224), the Training Academy has seen a significant increase in Training Portal requests and concerns about classes filling quickly. Our Training Delivery Team is busy creating schedules and hiring new trainers, and our LMS (Learning Management System) Team is hard at work building new courses for registration. Learn more in this blog post.

Resources

Go to Main Menu

Community Resource and Upcoming Trainings

Meet DCYF’s LGBTQIA2S+ Liaison: Nicolas Vogel!

Nicolas leads in the development and coordination of interagency and interdepartmental policy initiatives with Minnesota's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to ensure a continuum of services that support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) youth in out-of-home placement. He serves as the Child Safety and Permanency (CSP) liaison to state and federal agencies regarding programs that serve LGBTQIA2S+ youth in or out-of-foster care placement. He also represents the division on interagency and interdepartmental committees and groups to develop policies to respond to the unique needs of LGBTQIA2S+ youth in out-of-home placement. For questions or resources for LGBTQIA2S+ youth in foster care, he can be reached at nicolas.vogel@state.mn.us.

Child Protective Services Worker

Child Welfare Training Box - workers can order this tool box for themselves and colleagues.

Community Letter

Go to Main Menu

illustration of hands holding different lgbtqai+ pride flags

While Pride month is generally seen as a time of celebration and shared community, it is also a time for many within Queer spaces to reflect on the seemingly endless barrage of challenges and dangers that have historically plagued those who identify as LGBTQIA2S+. Despite legal and political advances, The National Library of Medicine reports that Queer-identifying people continue to experience oppression and discrimination of their basic human rights.

But this isn’t a problem that only impacts adults.

The Details That You May Be Missing

According to LGBTMAP.ORG, 7-9% of youth identify as LGBTQIA2S+, meaning there are 3.2 million LGBTQIA2S+ youth between the ages of eight and 19, more than half of whom (52%) are youth of color (compared to 39% of LGBTQIA2S+ adults who are people of color). LGBTQIA2S+ young people are over-represented in foster care according to a 2019 study, which found that 30.4% of youth in foster care identify as part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. 5% of those youth identify as transgender, compared to 11.2% and 1.17% of youth not in foster care. In addition, LGBTQIA2S+ youth are at risk for family rejection, homelessness, discrimination and bullying at school, and harmful conversion therapy practices.

That same study found that LGBTQIA2S+ children in foster care are 2.50X more likely to be in a group home rather than with a family.

The rise in state legislation introducing bills targeting LGBTQIA2S+ youth and communities have aimed to restrict access to health care needs as well as to prevent youth from joining the sports team of their choice. Often, the bills pose a very real threat, even when they do not pass or become law. This has created a tumultuous scenario for many in the child welfare space who may be struggling to find access to resources that support LGBTQIA2S+ youth.

How Can Workers Help and Support LGBTQIA2S+ Families?

Understanding these statistics and being aware is only a part of the solution. While knowledge is absolutely essential, culturally responsive practice requires consistent self-reflection, education, and a deeply empathetic approach through an intercultural lens..

We encourage you to utilize the resources presented below that may be used to educate and connect you with services designed to support LGBTQIA2S+ children and families. This pride month, we encourage all who read this newsletter to partake in these resources and learn more about the over-representation of LGBTQIA2S+ youth within the foster care and child welfare systems.

Statewide Resources

LGBTQIA2S+ Resource Padlet, a live map-list of growing resources, is designed to connect workers with health resources and other helpful support for LGBTQIA2S+ families.Listings include mental health assistance, counseling, BIPOC friendly options, and more.
TC Pride Community Resources features a list of statewide resources including support groups and social meetups, health support, housing and chemical dependency assistance, and more.
NAMI Minnesota has a list of resources for LGBTQIA2+ community members including local and general support for Queer-specific and safe space mental health resources.
Outfront Minnesota is Minnesota’s largest LGBTQIA2S+ advocacy organization. Outfront provides training on topics such as Addressing Myths and Misinformation about LGBTQ+ Gender (PK-12) and more.

Educational Resources

Upcoming LGBTQIA2S+ Events

Taking a Newsletter Pause

Please note, starting June 2026 staff from the Academy will be taking a pause from this publication to facilitate MAAFPCWDA trainings. Please consider registering for these trainings.

Update your info | Forward to a colleague | Unsubscribe

The inclusion of any third-party products, services, or information does not constitute endorsement by this organization.

Minnesota State Statute 260.69 under the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act requires cultural competency training for all individuals working with African American and disproportionately represented children in the child welfare system. The Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy will be providing a monthly curated selection of resources and trainings that can be utilized to satisfy this training requirement while the statewide training is being developed.

Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), 1711 County Road B West Suite 200N, Roseville, MN 55113, United States | The Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA) is a collaboration between the Child Safety and Permanency (CSP) Division at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare (MICW) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.