Youth in foster care need regular and candid conversations about sexuality and relationships, our Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative project team found in a new study.
Our team conducted interviews, community listening sessions, and reflection exercises with several groups of stakeholders: young adults with lived experience, foster parents, and child welfare professionals. The findings are detailed in an article published in the December 2022 issue of Prevention Science.
Based on an analysis of stakeholder perspectives, our team identified the need for trauma-informed and inclusive interventions. Our findings confirmed the need to normalize conversations about sexuality and relationships in child welfare and shift away from stigmatizing approaches.
We identified key strategies for achieving this goal:
