Why foster youth need “sex ed”: Social work practices regarding sexual reproductive health

At present, more than 500,000 American children live in foster care. Adolescents and young adults placed in our child welfare system are at an increased risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections due to their likelihood to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners. They receive unclear and inconsistent messages about sexual and reproductive health and lack access to reproductive health services and programs. Using a mixed methods approach, data from a comprehensive quantitative survey of foster youth and focus groups held with social workers and foster parents will be presented. More than 75% of foster youth surveyed (ages 14-19) had ever had sexual intercourse. 53% of these youth were unaware that condom use can decrease their risk of getting HIV/AIDS and other STIs. The majority of social workers and foster parents expressed concern that numerous sexual health behaviors were a problem for foster youth. Social workers also indicated that they generally did not receive sufficient training, if any, yet were expected to address sexual reproductive health issues with youth. Focus group participants highlighted the following needs to be included in the training: (1) a focus on having positive conversations with youth which could lead to a decrease in teen pregnancy; (2) how to reduce the stigma attached to discussing sex; and, (3) the inclusion of the adolescent's viewpoint. Social and health service agencies must create environments that both administratively and programmatically address sexual reproductive health issues specific to foster youth.