Since 2004, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has worked to raise awareness about the high rates of teen pregnancy among youth in the child welfare system through research, technical assistance, and partnerships with organizations and individuals interested in taking action that focuses on child welfare. The goal of these efforts is to improve child and family well-being by reducing teen pregnancy among teens in and aging out of foster care.
While significant progress has been made in decreasing the national teen pregnancy rate, it still remains a fact that a girl in foster care is 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant than her adolescent peers by the age of 19. Half of the 21-year-old men aging out of the foster care system have reported getting someone pregnant compared to 19% of their peers not in the system.
Throughout our work on this effort, The National Campaign has worked to engage various agencies and partners, at the state and local level, to help them understand their role in teen pregnancy prevention among this population. In addition to professionals within the child welfare system, it is also the responsibility of foster parents, care providers, educators, and professionals within juvenile and family courts to support the youth in foster care make healthy, informed decisions.