THRIVE Evaluation

Projects

THRIVE Evaluation

THRIVE Evaluation
THRIVE Evaluation Project Overview

The Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) at the University of Texas at Austin is partnering with implementation and evaluation teams in Illinois, Kansas, and Colorado to conduct an efficacy study of THRIVE, a promising sexual health intervention for youth in foster care and child welfare professionals. The 5-year study is funded through a Tier 2 Rigorous Evaluation Cooperative Agreement from OASH – Office of Population Affairs.

Project Background

THRIVE was designed by the Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative that brought together sexual health, violence prevention, and child welfare experts, foster caregivers, child welfare professionals, and youth with lived experience.

The program aims to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV rates among youth in foster care by increasing:

  1. Consistent use of condoms and contraceptives
  2. Access to sexual and reproductive health resources and services
  3. Healthy relationship and consent behaviors
  4. The capacity of child welfare professionals to promote sexual health through ongoing conversations and provision of resources

THRIVE consists of a 4-hour training for child welfare professionals and a 10-hour interactive curriculum for youth ages 13 to 19 delivered in congregate care settings.

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 settings in their respective states.Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, along with teams at the University of Kansas and the University of Colorado Boulder, serves as the independent evaluator. The project aims to enroll 45 congregate care providers, 420 youth, and 336 child welfare professionals into the study.