Chapin Hall

The THRIVE sexual health program includes two components: a 10-hour curriculum for 13- to 19-year-olds in foster care and a 4-hour training for child welfare professionals. The curriculum and training aim to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and intimate partner violence among youth in foster care by increasing their connections to trusted peers and adults, increasing their involvement in safe and healthy relationships, and increasing their access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. 

As part of the Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative, the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin partnered with Healthy Futures of Texas and the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services to develop THRIVE with input from youth with lived experience in foster care, foster caregivers and child welfare professionals.    

The implementation and impact evaluation of THRIVE will be supported by a five-year, $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Population Affairs. Three organizations with expertise in child welfare and sexual health (Planned Parenthood of Illinois, KVC Behavioral Health Services Kansas, and the Colorado Sexual Health Initiative) will implement THRIVE in congregate care (group home and residential care) settings in their respective states.  

Chapin Hall’s Dr. Amy Dworsky, a nationally recognized expert on pregnant and parenting youth in foster care, will lead the evaluation team that includes Lee Ann Huang, Elissa Gitlow, Dr. Amanda Griffin and Colleen Schlecht as well as experts at the University of Kansas and the University of Colorado Boulder.  

A promising formative evaluation found that THRIVE is feasible to implement, engaging for youth, and supported by child welfare professionals. The 130 youth from across Texas who participated in THRIVE reported acquiring new knowledge, learning how to advocate for their sexual health needs, and continuing to reflect on their relationships after THRIVE sessions. 

Chapin Hall is a leader in evaluating programs for youth in foster care as well as those experiencing homelessness. The organization uses rigorous research to generate evidence and supports policy and program implementation in the field. Our experts work alongside community and agency partners to build more effective services and systems, accelerate the use of evidence in practice, and better serve children, youth, and families.  

For more information on this project, please contact Dr. Amy Dworsky.