"because I really didn’t know what was available to [my foster youth client].”

Social workers need support to help #FosterYouth exercise their right to access sexual and reproductive health education and services. That's where we come in.

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There is a general lack of awareness surrounding the state of #SexualAndReproductiveHealth rights & services for youth in care. Now, federal attacks and decreased funding prospects further hinder the efforts of professionals, caregivers & advocates who serve #FosterYouth.

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We know there are a lot of myths surrounding #fostercare. Let's bust some of them.
Kids in foster care are juvenile delinquents, are “bad kids,” or did something wrong.
NOT TRUE! Kids never come into foster care through any fault of their own.
#AmaraFostering #fostercare #fosteryouth

#EmergingPhoenix #FosterYouth #LifeSkills #HousingSupport #YouthSuccess #FosterCareToSuccess #LifeSkillsTraining #HousingNavigation #HousingSupport #LifeSkillsMatter #VirginiaCommunity #Empowerment #LifeSkillsEducation #VirginiaYouth #YouthFirst #HousingHelp #FosterYouthSupport #NonprofitLeadership

A crucial aspect to expanding RHEP's mission across California: recruiting youth advocates from #Norcal to #Socal & the coasts, valleys, etc. in between. 🌇 With diverse #FosterYouth perspectives, we ensure policies and practices are built with their needs at the forefront.

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Things were different in 2018. We were a little-known project called LA RHEP. Today, we go by just RHEP, and we've expanded across California. 💪We fight for the bodily autonomy, comprehensive #SexEducation & affirming sexual and reproductive health care for #FosterYouth.

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#EmergingPhoenix #YouthEmpowerment #FosterYouth #LifeSkills #HousingSupport #EvidenceBased #VirginiaYouth #RiseStrong #FutureLeaders #YouthSuccess #FosterCareToSuccess #LifeSkillsTraining #HousingNavigation #Impact #CommunitySupport #Virginia #HopeInAction #YouthRising #HousingSupport

Teen Talk Foster Youth – RHEP Foster Youth Teen Talk Foster Youth is a free, virtual, community-based sex ed series for youth in California foster care, coordinated by the Reproductive Health Equity Project. This curriculum meets requirements ...

With the help of Mariah, a RHEP intern & #FosterYouth advocate, we wrapped up this year-long expansion project. We even received an award from LAUNCH for "Igniting Innovation."🏆

Learn more about the Teen Talk Foster Youth series➡️ fosterreprohealth.org/teentalk-vir...

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@RHEP | Twitter, Instagram | Linktree The Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth | Youth Advisory Board

🔹 Accessing comprehensive #SexEducation
🔹 Knowing your rights as a #FosterYouth

Visit our website and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on RHEP projects.

🌐 linktr.ee/rhep

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I started watching Tom Seguras new special. I stopped when he describes one of his kids behaving oddly in front of strangers and excusing the behavior, lying(?) & saying He’s a foster kid. We know they’re all awful, or something close to those words. #fosteryouth #perpetuatingstigma #cruelty #FFY

For Some Foster Youth, The Holidays Aren't Grounds for Celebration In his first regular column for The Imprint, Kenyon Lee Whitman describes the often complicated relationship foster youth have to holidays

From The Imprint: The holidays aren't always a celebration. It's much more complicated for foster youth. https://ow.ly/IrSu50XHBLm
#holidays #holidayseason #fosteryouth #childwelfare

Lessons Learned from Co-Designing a Digital Health App for Foster Youth: Development and #usability Study Background: Foster youth experience high rates of unmet mental health and substance use needs, yet simultaneously face numerous barriers to accessing and engaging in community-based services. Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) are promising for overcoming some of the barriers to service engagement, particularly when designed in collaboration with the intended users. Objective: The current study describes lessons learned from a 31-month process of co-designing FostrSpace, a BIT to address social determinants of health and behavioral health needs among foster youth. Our overall aim is to provide a roadmap for other scholars wishing to co-design BITs with minoritized youth that have the potential to address social determinants of health and increase access to and engagement in behavioral health care. Methods: The co-design process of creating FostrSpace included five phases: design, development, launch, testing and evaluation, and iterative refinement. We describe the activities conducted during each phase, as well as the resultant FostrSpace application. In-application FostrSpace utilization data was collected as part of a quality improvement effort to iteratively refine the application; during registration, all youth signed a user agreement which detailed data usage. Results: FostrSpace utilization data was collected from 40 youth (78% (n=32) ages 18-26 years; 20% (n=8) 13-17 years). Based on the resource needs checklist at sign-up, youth sought resources in the domains of emotional wellness (n=29), healthcare (n=17), housing (n=16), transportation (n=15), employment (n=15), school (n=13), food (n=12), family (n=11), and legal (n=7) resources, or other/not sure (n=16). Fifteen youth accessed support from the personal care navigator. Fourteen youth completed the emotional wellness questionnaire (EWQ) and identified substance use, depression, anger/irritability, mania, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and sleep problems as areas of concern. Seven of these youth initiated behavioral health services with a FostrSpace clinician. Conclusions: Engaging in participatory co-design of BITs with foster youth and other minoritized communities requires careful attention to power dynamics. Creating a space where co-designers feel there is mutual benefit to engaging in the process and it is psychologically safe to share their experiences is crucial for success. We describe lessons learned from engaging in this co-design work, including how it relates to decisions about the technology (e.g., balancing youth privacy with burden of login process), working with third-party developers (e.g., ensuring technology development partners have sufficient knowledge about the population you are co-designing with to meaningfully engage with them) and considerations for the strategic embedding of technology-based interventions within existing systems of care to promote uptake.

JMIR Formative Res: Lessons Learned from Co-Designing a Digital Health App for Foster Youth: Development and #usability Study #DigitalHealth #FosterYouth #MentalHealth #BehavioralHealth #CoDesign

Tennessee launches $1M challenge to address foster care transition crisis Belmont University’s Innovation Labs partners with state agencies to fund solutions for youth aging out of foster care.

“we are groomed into failure. We are not slow walked into adulthood and given the time to acclimate and given support. We are just thrown. It’s sink or swim, and we are sinking.”

www.wsmv.com/2025/12/04/t... #fosteryouth #fostercare

Use our Foster Friendly Healthcare Toolkit. 🛠️ You'll learn how to support #FosterYouth patients from the waiting room to the examination room.

▶️ rhep.info/4mMvA1G

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"Equitable access to trauma-informed sexual and reproductive health care and education should be a fundamental right, especially for #FosterYouth who are disproportionately impacted by these issues."
—Abby, a 2025 Youth Advisory Board member

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When a CASA shows up, youth start to believe in what’s possible. 💫

That connection — built on trust and understanding — can be the key to helping them reach milestones like graduation. 👩🏾‍🎓🎓

#ChangeALife #YoloCASA #FosterYouth #Volunteer #GraduationGoals

Congratulations to our newest Employee of the Month, Bobby Vasquez, and our Culture Champ, Kakesia Walker!

#nonprofit #youth #fosteryouth #foster

How a Series of Events Led Former Foster Youth into ICE Custody Foster advocate Axel Pecero is being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center and preparing for the possibility of deportation.

Open Doors Youth Council member and Foster youth Advocate Axel Pecero and his experience with ICE and current challenges facing the system. imprintnews.org/top-stories/... #OpenDoorsTraining #youthvoice #youth #fosteryouth

On behalf of the 4,161 children and families in Kids Above All's programs, we'd like to thank everyone again for the incredible support at last Thursday's 2025 Celebration Dinner!

#nonprofit #celebrationdinner #fundraiser #earlychildhood #counseling #fostercare #fosteryouth #housing

How do #fosteryouth learn the skills needed to parent their children? Through trial, error & support from unexpected places. 💚

As one youth put it, "There is, unfortunately, not a super conclusive rule book that we have on the best way to do #parenting."

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We all have messy middle chapters 🏗️
🦺 Under construction means learning, healing, rebuilding, not failing
You’re not behind, you’re becoming 💛
🪜 Keep building, keep becoming, keep going
Every day you show up, you’re laying another brick 🧱

#GeorgiaNonprofit #FosterCareGA #AgingOutGA #FosterYouth

It is our responsibility as adults to ensure that healthcare is #fosteryouth friendly.

🌟 Refer to RHEP's Foster Friendly Healthcare Toolkit for expert and youth-approved guidance: rhep.info/4mMvA1G

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We are proud to stand with Rappahannock CASA in supporting vulnerable girls in Virginia, and with the Marriott Daughters Foundation, whose partnership makes it possible to bring this crisis into the light.

#MMBWG #MMIWG #EquityForGirls #GirlsJustice #FosterYouth

Top 10 Tips for Healthy Relationships – RHEP Foster Youth Our Youth Advisory Board (YAB) produced a guide, videos, and blog to assist other young people who are interested in developing healthy relationships with friends, family members, and romantic partner...

What do young people value in their #relationships?

Jessica says, "Honesty is my number one policy because I feel like I should be able to be open with my partner."

📝 Read the guide researched & drafted by former #fosteryouth, the Top 10 Tips for Healthy Relationships: rhep.info/4kGtkZ7

Panelist member Pura Strong and State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks converse during a panel discussion at the Fostering Futures Scholarship benefit dinner in Detroit on Sept. 12, 2025.

The 2025 Fostering Futures Scholarship dinner raised over $111K to support Michigan foster youth in pursuing their college dreams!
💙 Learn more or donate at michigan.gov/fosteringfutures

@setwithmet.bsky.social #mdhhs #migov #fosteringfutures #fosteryouth

The room where policy meets advocacy, where tears are shed, experiences are shared, and meaningful change is manifested. 🥰🩵 #StateCommission #EducationOutcomes #FosterYouth #RhodeIsland @jcasi-25.bsky.social

As caregivers, it’s important to empower #fosteryouth with conversations about healthy relationships and sexual health in order to support their development. 🌟

📑 Read A Caregiver’s Youth-Centered Approach to Reproductive & Sexual Health: fosterreprohealth.org/wp-content/u...

Finding LGBTQ+ inclusive medical care – RHEP Foster Youth Read how our Youth Advisory Board member recounts the challenges and experiences she faced when accessing LGBTQ+ inclusive care and provides handy resources for foster youth in similar situations.

Receiving medical services in a welcoming and respectful environment should never be an issue that #fosteryouth have to worry about.

📰Read E's blog about their perspective and tips about inclusive medical care: fosterreprohealth.org/finding-lqbt...

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Federal trial begins alleging Alaska OCS is failing children in foster care The class action lawsuit alleges the state has placed foster kids at risk and seeks system-wide reforms.

"Marcia Lowry, an attorney and director of a national nonprofit advocating for foster reforms, said the organization is helping with this lawsuit because Alaska’s foster system has some of the worst outcomes in the country."

#Alaska #FosterCare #FosterYouth

alaskapublic.org/news/health/...

"Unidos somos mas fuertes!"
—A RHEP Youth Advisory Board member on the importance of community

#MondayMotivation #Inspiration #Advocacy #FosterYouth #YouthRights #SRH