Teen SENSE
Working to secure the rights of youth in state custody to comprehensive, LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health care and sexual health education/capacity, and to build and support a corps of young leaders as sexual health advocates for themselves and their peers.
Teen Sexual Health and Education Now in State Environments (Teen SENSE) is a multidisciplinary initiative committed to advancing the rights of youth in state custody to comprehensive, LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health care and sexual health education. Teen SENSE works to ensure that all staff of foster care, detention, and other government-operated and regulated youth facilities are equipped to understand and protect the health and well-being of all young people in their charge, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The provision of these services is not only a matter of good public health policy, it is required by law.
Teen SENSE is a collaborative effort. Experts in adolescent medicine, public health, sexual health education, child welfare, and juvenile justice engage with community organizers and youth advocates to develop a complete advocacy model and coordinate its implementation. Above all, Teen SENSE is by and for youth; young people play an increasing advocacy and advisory role in Teen SENSE activities. The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), Teen SENSE's founding organization, provides ongoing support for the initiative, and coordinates activities among all partnering individuals and organizations.
In April 2012, Teen SENSE released the first set of Model Policies to serve as consistent, written assurances that comprehensive, LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health services are available to youth in state custody, and that youth facilities staff are culturally competent, including on the rights and needs of LGBTQ youth. The Model Policies include:
In January 2012, Teen SENSE officially released the first set of Model Standards to guide advocates, NGOs, and government agencies in providing the services that should be available to young people as a matter of policy. The Model Standards include:
- Model Sexual Health Care Standards for Youth in State Custody (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/693). These standards are designed to reflect the minimum requirements that facilities should meet in order to appropriately address the sexual health care needs of youth in state custody. Under these standards, youth should be provided with confidential, culturally competent care including physical and mental health screenings; information and treatment related to sexual abuse, pregnancy, and STI and HIV transmission and prevention; and STI and HIV testing. Youth who are pregnant, gender non-conforming, or LGBTQ should not be treated differently or receive a lesser standard of care.
- Model Sexual Health Education Standards for Youth in State Custody (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/692). These standards are designed to reflect the minimum requirements of curricula that meet the sexual health knowledge needs of youth in the state custody. Under these standards, youth should be provided with at least basic information on STI and HIV transmission and prevention, in addition to a list of community resources related to pregnancy, sexual violence, and LGBTQ discrimination. Classroom environments and teachers should demonstrate non-judgmental, inclusive attitudes that create a comfortable space for youth of any sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Model Staff Training Standards: Focusing on the Needs of Youth in State Custody (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/694). These standards are designed to ensure that staff in state facilities are equipped to understand and protect the health and well-being of all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The standards serve as a guide for staff at every level of child welfare and juvenile justice agencies, including caseworkers, medical service providers, security personnel, and probation officers. Staff should be trained on the rights of youth to health, sexual and reproductive autonomy, safety, and freedom from discrimination.
Youth Advocacy Corps
Teen SENSE believes that the youn people should have a major voice in the larger conversation about HIV/AIDS, sexual health, and juvenile justice, andn play a major role in related policy advocacy. Young people must have access to comprehensive, LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health services in order to improve health outcomes and routinize positive discussions about sex, sexual orientation, gender identity. Making sex and sexuality central components of overall health directly supports young people's capacity for sound decision-making and developing healthy, robust interpersonal relationships. Similarly, a familiarity with criminal justice systems and how they affect youth is both practical and empowering, especially in the context of the criminal treatment of HIV, the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and access to sexual health care and sexual health education. The Teen SENSE Youth Advocacy Corps is a safe space for young people to learn about these issues and develop the skills necessary for effective advocacy on the local, state, and federal levels.
Youth Advocacy Corps has three objectives:
- Educate on issues related to HIV/AIDS, sexual health, and juvenile justice through comprehensive, age-appropriate interactive training sessions and workshops;
- Develop and professionalize the advocacy and leadership skills of young people committed to these issues; and
- Coordinate advocacy opportunities with local, state, and federal government officials and policymakers.
For more information on Teen SENSE and the Youth Advocacy Corps, contact Adrian Guzman at aguzman@hivlawandpolicy.org.
Highlighted Resources
Model Policy: Sexual Health Care for Youth in State Custody, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/730). This Model Policy, designed for use by agencies and jurisdictions that provide services for youth in state custody, outlines the basic minimum requirements for sexual health care services. These services should be culturally competent and inclusive, including for youth who are pregnant, gender non-conforming, or LGBTQI. The Model Policy is a companion to Model Sexual Health Care Standards for Youth in State Custody (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/693).
Model Sexual Health Care Standards for Youth in State Custody, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/693). These standards are designed to reflect the minimum requirements that facilities should meet in order to appropriately address the sexual health care needs of youth in state custody. Under these standards, youth should be provided with confidential, culturally competent care including physical and mental health screenings; information and treatment related to sexual abuse, pregnancy, and STI and HIV transmission and prevention; and STI and HIV testing. Youth who are pregnant, gender non-conforming, or LGBTQ should not be treated differently or receive a lesser standard of care.
Model Policy: Sexual Health Education for Youth in State Custody, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/731). This Model Policy, designed for use by agencies and jurisdictions that provide services for youth in state custody, outlines the basic minimum requirements of a sexual health education program. It is a companion to the Model Sexual Health Education Standards for Youth in State Custody (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/692).
Model Sexual Health Education Standards for Youth in State Custody, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/692). These standards are designed to reflect the minimum requirements of curricula that meet the sexual health knowledge needs of youth in the state custody. Under these standards, youth should be provided with at least basic information on STI and HIV transmission and prevention, in addition to a list of community resources related to pregnancy, sexual violence, and LGBTQ discrimination. Classroom environments and teachers should demonstrate non-judgmental, inclusive attitudes that create a comfortable space for youth of any sexual orientation and gender identity.
Model Policy: Training for Youth Facility Staff: Ensuring Competence that Includes the Rights and Needs of LGBTQ Youth, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/732). This Model Policy, designed for use by agencies and jurisdictions that provide services for youth in state custody, outlines the basic requirements for ensuring staff competence, including on the rights and needs of LGBTQ youth. It serves as a companion to Model Staff Training Standards: Focusing on the Needs of LGBTQ Youth (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/694).
Model Staff Training Standards: Focusing on the Needs of Youth in State Custody, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/694). These standards are designed to ensure that staff in state facilities are equipped to understand and protect the health and well-being of all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The standards serve as a guide for staff at every level of child welfare and juvenile justice agencies, including caseworkers, medical service providers, security personnel, and probation officers. Staff should be trained on the rights of youth to health, sexual and reproductive autonomy, safety, and freedom from discrimination.
Juvenile Injustice: The Unfulfilled Rights of Youth in State Custody to Comprehensive Sexual Health Care, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/565). This is the first legal report and guide on the rights of youth in detention and foster care facilities to comprehensive sexual health care, including sexual medical care, sexuality education, and staff training on sexual orientation and the needs and rights of LGBTQ youth. This publication analyzes the foundation of this right and the sexual health care needs of youth in out-of-home care.
Comprehensive, LGBTQ-Inclusive Sexual Health Care for Youth in State Custody as a Human Right: The Teen SENSE Initiative, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (http://hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/442). This paper, presented at the 2008 international "Sex, Rights, and the Law in a World with AIDS" conference in Cuernavaca, Mexico, analyzes the goals, obstacles, strategies, and lessons learned from the first years of the Teen SENSE initiative. Teen SENSE provides a new strategy for addressing sexual health care for youth at high risk of STIs and HIV, by acknowledging that sexual health care requires not only appropriate medical services, but also counseling, education, and a safe, inclusive environment for youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The paper discusses Teen SENSE's creation of a legal rights "road map" for the right of youth in state custody to comprehensive sexual health care, as well as the creation of model standards that reflect the best practices to ensure that state custody facilities respect, protect, and fulfill these rights.
