How can the child welfare system collect and use data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to ensure safe and affirming care for LGBTQ+ youth, caregivers, and family members? Join Angela Weeks, D.B.A., director of the National Center for Youth with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (the National SOGIE Center), and Elliott Hinkle, B.A., P.S.S., national young adult consultant at the Children’s Bureau’s Capacity Building Center for States.In this first episode, Elliott Hinkle talks with Angela Weeks and Sonia Emerson, a consultant to the National SOGIE Center on racial equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and child welfare. They discuss what SOGIE data is and why it’s important, particularly to young people involved in the child welfare system.This podcast is produced and distributed by James Bell Associates in collaboration with the National SOGIE Center on behalf of the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under contract number 47QRAA20D0008.ResourcesGlossary: www.sogiecenter.org/media/ssw/institute/sogie-center/QIC-LGBTQ2S-SOGIE-Glossary.pdf National SOGIE Center: www.sogiecenter.orgCapacity Building Center for States: https://capacity.childwelfare.gov/states988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: www.988lifeline.org