HCET Indiana Connected and Supported Teens (IN-CAST) Project - Indiana adolescents involved in juvenile corrections, child welfare, and foster care systems are disparately impacted by negative sexual health outcomes, including unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI). However, few evidence-based programs (EBP) specifically target this population and their distinctive needs and situational constraints. The Health Care Education and Training, Inc. (HCET) Indiana Connected and Supported Teens (IN-CAST) Project will provide evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs to 2,750 adolescents in the geographic boundary of the state of Indiana (550 youth each year for five years), ages 14 to 19. IN-CAST will specifically serve youth in foster care (FC) and adjudicated/juvenile justice youth (JJ). Programming will be delivered in four unique settings: 1) juvenile detention centers; 2) community-based organizations; 3) group and residential care programs; and 4) schools (specifically alternative high schools). The IN-CAST Project is a systems-level, community- and youth-driven approach that incorporates multiple sectors within the child welfare and juvenile corrections systems to address risk and protective factors for teen pregnancy. IN-CAST will deliver an individual, interpersonal, and organizational positive youth development (PYD) approach to improving reproductive and sexual health, safety, and well-being for adolescents. IN-CAST will advance equity in adolescent health in teen pregnancy and STD/HIV for systems-involved youth through the replication, implementation, and evaluation of the evidence-based Power Through Choices (PTC) program, and other EBP selected and finalized during the 6-month planning period. HCET will provide evidence-based programs, education, and training to 750 stakeholders (150/year for five years) including parents, guardians, foster parents, child welfare and juvenile justice staff and administrators, judges, and other FC/JJ youth-serving professionals. Stakeho
lder and caregiver education these trusted adults the skills to improve adult and youth communication regarding healthy relationships, sex, and health. IN-CAST is a community-driven, multi-sector approach that promotes health equity and positively affects adolescents, parents/caregivers, youth-serving professionals, and communities. A multi-systems-level approach like IN-CAST that impacts the youth, community, parents/caregivers, health care providers, and other youth serving professionals, at multiple systemic levels, has the potential to change FC/JJ youth’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to sexual risk and other risky behaviors, as well as affect long-lasting change in the community, organizations, and families.
