Friday, April 19, 2024
4/19/2024
The Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative (The Initiative) will promote optimal health for child welfare involved youth. Current policies and practices limit access to vital sexual health information and skill development. As a result, females in Texas foster care are five times more likely to get pregnant than their same age peers. The Initiative will be innovative and impactful by: 1) creating a multi-disciplinary network and learning community; 2) using the socio-ecological model as a framework for coordinated strategies at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy levels; 3) exploring, developing, testing, refining, and evaluating sexuality and relationship education interventions to meet community needs; 4) applying a trauma-informed approach to build skills for healthy relationships and sexual health, and strengthen youth-adult relationships; 5) empowering foster youth through leadership opportunities in program design; and 6) framing sexuality education from a sex-positive perspective in which youth have information to drive their own decision-making. The Initiative will be guided by three state-wide organizations, the Texas Innovation Partners: The Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work (TXICFW), The Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (TX Campaign) the Texas Alliance for Child and Family Services (Alliance). TXICFW, with expertise in both foster care and teen pregnancy prevention, will lead the project; guide intervention, adaptation, and evaluation; develop infrastructure and communications; and create a foundation for sustaining The Initiative. The Alliance is the membership organization for foster care organizations in the state and the TX Campaign is the only statewide agency solely focused on adolescent health. Both entities will provide state-wide trainings and technical assistance for child placing agencies, child welfare professionals, mentorship organizations, foster and birth parents. Interventions for foster youth and caregivers that will be explored, tested, and refined include, but are not limited to: 1) Power through Choices, an evidence-based sexuality education curriculum for foster youth; 2) Expect Respect, a teen dating and sexual violence curriculum for youth with violence exposure; and 3) Brave Conversations, a trauma-informed training for adults working with foster youth. The Youth Leadership Council will be comprised of foster care alumni who participate in training, design interventions, and lead teen conferences. Additional partners and stakeholders will join the Texas Innovation Network to form a multi-disciplinary learning community. The Texas Innovation Partners will work with Community Innovation Teams that are led by project coordinators responsible for convening community partners; exploring and testing interventions; and providing feedback for adaptations. Healthy Futures will manage efforts in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley; North Texas Alliance to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy in Teens will manage efforts in Dallas and surrounding areas; and based on their involvement in leading innovation efforts in Houston, The Campaign will be responsible for managing efforts in Houston. An additional site will be added in year two of the project.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
