"We are the few who held hope" : lessons learned from 2S/LGBTQ+ former youth in care and child welfare practitioners
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Social Work, School of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Pinderi, Kristi
issued: 2025-10-22T23:55:16Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Social Work - MSW
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: This thesis explores the experiences of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (2S/LGBTQ+) former youth in care and the perspectives of child welfare practitioners who have worked with this population. Using interpretive description, the research draws on in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with former youth in care (n = 5), and interviews with practitioners (n = 3), to capture how identity, survival, and affirmation intersect within the child welfare system. Former youth in care described care as both a site of survival and a place of interrupted isolation. Survival was not only about escaping immediate harm but also about negotiating imposed institutional silence, stigmatization and sometimes the pathologization of sexuality and gender identity, racism, and religious or cultural erasure of their identities. Identity self-making became possible only when safety was secured. Moments of connection that disrupted silence and offered glimpses of belonging and possibilities. Such interruptions â whether through queer or queer-affirming foster families, supportive teachers, or culturally grounded connections â did not erase systemic harm but allowed identity exploration, imagination, and hope. The findings show that affirmation is not simply passive acceptance; it is strategic, intentional, risk-taking, and rooted in unconditional and relational care. Practitioner interviews echoed these dynamics. Child welfare practitioners emphasized the importance of humility, consistency, and the willingness to reflect on biases. They also identified training gaps, particularly in supporting caregivers to accept and embrace gender and sexual minority youth. Across the accounts of 2S/LGBTQ+ former youth in care, affirmation emerges as a practice of safety-making, visibility, and imagination, challenging both systemic inertia and societal conservatism.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/92715
note: âWE ARE THE FEW WHO HELD HOPEâ: LESSONS FROM 2S/LGBTQ+ FORMER YOUTH IN CARE AND CHILD WELFARE PRACTITIONERS by Kristi Pinderi BSW, The University of British Columbia, 2023 BA, University of Tirana, 2004 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2025 © Kristi Pinderi, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: âWe are the few who held hopeâ: Lessons from 2S/LGBTQ+ former youth in care and child welfare practitioners submitted by Kristi Pinderi in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work In Social Work Examining Committee: Hannah Kia, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, UBC Co-supervisor Barbara Lee, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, UBC Co-supervisor Trevor Goodyear, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, UBC Supervisory Committee Member iii Abstract This thesis explores the experiences of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (2S/LGBTQ+) former youth in care and the perspectives of child welfare practitioners who have worked with this population. Using interpretive description, the research draws on in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with former youth in care (n = 5), and interviews with practitioners (n = 3), to capture how identity, survival, and affirmation intersect within the child welfare system. Former youth in care described care as both a site of survival and a place of interrupted isolation. Survival was not only about escaping immediate harm but also about negotiating imposed institutional silence, stigmatization and sometimes the pathologization of sexuality and gender identity, racism, and religious or cultural erasure of their identities. Identity self-making became possible only when safe…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0450540
language: eng
degree discipline: Social Work
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Kia, Hannah
contributor: Lee, Barbara
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/92715