adolescent sexual health:
family engagement
A school community that prioritizes student health directly communicates and engages with families to support and improve student wellbeing. Families that are offered the opportunity to be involved in the development and promotion of district or school-level policies relating to the health of students become more engaged with the school community. Family involvement in student health and wellness also helps reinforce healthy behaviors at home, opens up communication about health curricula and helps to educate the entire community about relevant health issues.
Including families in discussions about sexual health curricula, relevant laws and regulations related to sexual education, access to sexual health services and the promotion of a safe and supportive environment can help mitigate controversy and ensure that parents and families continue to be critical partners in the healthy development of students.
Including families in discussions about sexual health curricula, relevant laws and regulations related to sexual education, access to sexual health services and the promotion of a safe and supportive environment can help mitigate controversy and ensure that parents and families continue to be critical partners in the healthy development of students.
Helpful Websites
- American Academy of Pediatrics ASH Family Engagement Resources A cumulative list of adolescent sexual health materials the pediatrician or pediatric health care provider can distribute to patients or share on social media
- HealthyChildren.org The official American Academy of Pediatrics website for parents, is the only parenting website backed by 66,000 pediatricians and includes over 5,000 articles on children's health and safety topics—including an entire section on teen dating and sex
- Adolescent Health Working Group (AHWG) is a coalition of youth, caregivers, and adolescent providers in the public and private sectors committed to better supporting the health of youth ages 12 to 24, including free resources for parents/caregivers
- Planned Parenthood Resources for Parents Tools to help parents/caregivers talk with their children about sexuality and reproduction
Parenting / Caregiving
- Real Life. Real Talk. (Planned Parenthood) is a 90-minute program (currently virtual) designed to encourage a healthy dialogue about sexuality and health among parents, teens, families, and communities.
- Positive Parenting Practices (CDC) provides the following fact sheets to help parents guide their adolescents in making healthy choices
- Monitoring Your Teen’s Activities: What Parents and Families Should Know
- Ways to Influence Your Teen’s Sexual Risk Behavior: What Fathers Can Do
- Parents’ Influence on the Health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens: What Parents and Families Should Know
- Talking with Your Teens about Sex: Going Beyond “the Talk”
- Teen Health Services and One-On-One Time with A Healthcare Provider: An Infobrief for Parents
- For Parents (Planned Parenthood) shows parents how to be thier kids' go-to resource for answers and advice about sexual health, broken down by topic and age group
- Talking with Teens about Sex: Going Beyond “the Talk” (CDC) offers practical actions for parents to help strengthen their efforts to engage positively with their teens and to have meaningful discussions with them about sex
Family Engagement at School
- Parent Engagement (CDC) provides several guides for promoting parent engagement in schools. Parent and family engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills—making it more likely that adolescents will avoid unhealthy behaviors.
- Parent Engagement: Overview Brochure
- Parent Engagement: For School Districts and School Administrators
- Parent Engagement: For Teachers and Other School Staff
- Parent Engagement: For Parents and Families
- Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health
- Promoting Parent Engagement in School Health: A Facilitator’s Guide for Staff Development
- Promoting Parent Engagement in Schools to Prevent HIV and other STDs Among Teens
- Best Practices for Family Engagement in Sex Education Implementation from the WISE Initiative (Working to Institutionalize Sex Ed)
Family Engagement Data
- The School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) provides national data on family engagement at the school and classroom levels to improve understanding of the current practices and changes over time.