Sexual and reproductive health capacity building for foster care organizations: A systems model

Abstract

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) capacity building for foster care organizations is a multilevel systems intervention to train professionals, create policies and practices that support SRH education and referrals, and enhance the physical environment with health materials and messages. The model was created with input from foster care professionals, governmental policy makers, and foster parents and adolescents. A longitudinal evaluation in two residential care settings showed improvements in staff members': (1) attitudes about communication with youth about SRH, (2) knowledge of agency SRH policies and best practices for providing information and access to health care, and (3) frequency of communication with youth about a variety of sexual health topics. Agencies developed strong policies and practices for integrating SRH into staff roles, created sustainability plans for continuation after the end of the program, and integrated many different types of educational and referral materials, as well as condoms, throughout the environment to ensure accessibility to youth.