Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Resource: Addressing the Legal Needs of Homeless Youth
This resource describes the legal issues homeless youth may face and how organizations can help them access assistance to prevent those issues from negatively impacting their future.
Resource: How Does Talking to Extended Family Influence Teens' Decisions About Sex?
This article highlights a recent study which examined why teens talk with extended family members about sex and what they discuss. The results indicate that almost 60% of teens in the study talked with extended family members about sex, and youth who said they talked exclusively to extended family members about sex were more than twice as likely to have had sex.
Resource: Six Subjects to Prepare Youth for Adulthood
This slideshow highlights the six FYSB adulthood preparation subjects that grantees of the Personal Responsibility Education Program teach to help prepare young people for adulthood. The slideshow also addresses how other youth-serving professionals can incorporate these subjects into their programs.
Resource: Running Away from Foster Care
This article highlights a literature review that analyzed the research on prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of running away from foster care, as well as the interventions implemented to stop it from happening.
Report: National Trends on Youth in Crisis
This report (PDF, 30 pages) illustrates trends in the characteristics of young people in crisis who contact the National Runaway Safeline for help. The results show that abuse and neglect were among the most common issues reported by those seeking support.
Resource: Mindfulness Classes Help Homeless Youth Understand, Regulate Emotions and Behaviors
This article highlights four tips for starting a mindfulness program for homeless youth. Mindfulness programs can give homeless young people insight into how their experiences have shaped their thinking and behavior and help them learn to control how they react to everyday stressors.
Resource: Helping Youth Prevent Suicide Among Their LGBTQ Peers
This article highlights free resources educators and youth service providers can use to implement the Trevor Project’s Lifeguard Workshop, a program encouraging young people to be “lifeguards” for one another by having the knowledge to help in a crisis. Professionals can request a free, in-person workshop or use the resources highlighted in the article to create personalized trainings.
Resource: Integrating Medical and Mental Health Care for Teen Moms
This article describes the mental health challenges teen moms face and highlights a Denver-based program that integrates mental health screening and treatment into their existing medical care.
Resource: 1-2-3 Care: A Trauma-Sensitive Toolkit for Caregivers of Children
As described in this NCFY article, this toolkit teaches young parents how to interact with children who have had traumatic experiences and addresses important aspects of child development and parenting, such as attachment, teaching emotional regulation, and repairing mistakes.
Resource: Youth-Friendly Manual Shows New Fathers the Ropes
This NCFY article highlights a manual (PDF, 28 pages) that uses driving and car analogies and youth-friendly language to teach teen dads and expectant dads about topics such as establishing paternity, what to expect when the baby comes home, caring for the baby, and co-parenting.
Report: 2016 Monitoring the Future Survey
This webpage provides information on the 2016 Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey of drug use and attitudes among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in the U.S. The results show a continued long-term decline in the use of many substances, including marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco, and the misuse of some prescription medications.
Report: Monitoring the Future 2017 Survey Results
This annual survey of eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders measures how teens in the U.S. report their drug and alcohol use and related attitudes. In 2017, 47,703 students from 360 public and private schools participated in the survey.
Internet Safety
This site, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology, includes a consolidated list of federal links providing information on internet safety for children and youth.
Share with Youth: FAFSA: Determining Your Dependency Status
Before students are ready to complete the FAFSA, they need to determine whether they will be under an independent or dependent status. This video describes how dependent applicants may need to include parental financial information.
Share with Youth: StudentLoans.gov/Repay
This website helps student find the loan repayment option that is best for them. By answering no more than five questions, the site helps borrowers identify repayment options, the materials needed, and the steps to register.
Cultivating Evaluation Capacity: A Guide for Programs Addressing Sexual and Domestic Violence
Cultivating Evaluation Capacity: A Guide for Programs Addressing Sexual and Domestic Violence (PDF, 58 pages) helps programs that serve survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence assess their evaluation capacity and identify areas of strength, as well as areas for improvement.
National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
NVDRS collects data on violent deaths from a variety of sources, including death certificates, police reports, medical examiner and coroner reports, and crime laboratories.
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
The National Dating Abuse Helpline is the direct service provider behind loveisrespect.org, operating the 24/7 text, phone, and live chat services. The texting function of the Helpline allows for users to text the Helpline advocates 24 hours a day, seven days a week about anything ranging from questions about healthy dating to raising red flags about relationships. The Helpline’s peer advocates serve thousands of teens and young adults through the 24/7 phone service. Users call 1-866-331-9474 to be connected with an advocate who is trained to offer education, support and advocacy to those involved in dating abuse relationships as well as concerned friends, siblings, parents, teachers, law enforcement members and service providers. The live chat (IM-style) of the Helpline is another way for users to contact a peer advocate. They receive the same one-on-one, real-time, confidential information from a trained peer advocate as they do if they contact loveisrespect.org by text and phone.
Office of Violence Against Women
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, provides national leadership in developing the nation's capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Teen Dating Violence
This site provides information about teen dating violence
The Halls: Web Series
Created by the Building Healthy Teen Relationships Initiative and the Defending Childhood Initiative at the Boston Public Health Commission, Division of Violence Prevention, The Halls is a web series featuring the stories of three young men living in Boston who are struggling with issues related to relationships, trauma, violence, and identity. The goal of the series is to prevent gender-based violence, promote healthy relationships among adolescents, and encourage young people to challenges the messages they have received about how to act in relationships. A discussion guide (PDF, 34 pages) is available on The Halls website which can help facilitators foster discussions around the themes of the series.
Tribal Justice and Safety
The site features the latest announcements, press releases, speeches and information regarding Department of Justice initiatives in tribal communities. It also provides comprehensive resources available through the Office of Tribal Justice and the Department's grant-making divisions: the Office of Justice Programs, Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office on Violence Against Women. Access to the Department's Combined Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) is also available on the Web site.
Resource: A National Protocol for Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Examinations
This guide (PDF, 233 pages) provides information for healthcare providers who conduct sexual abuse medical forensic examinations of prepubescent children, as well as agencies involved in community response to child sexual abuse. It addresses the health care needs of these children and the gathering of forensic evidence for potential use within the criminal justice and/or child protection systems.
Report: Impact of Domestic Violence Policies and Practices on Girls and Young Women
This summary report (PDF, 19 pages) by OJJDP’s National Girls Initiative explains the issues discussed during a roundtable event with advocates from the violence against women and juvenile justice reform for girls communities. The report describes a set of principles identified by participants; research gaps; and promising future federal, state, and local directions to ensure girls and young women are not criminalized for behaviors due to experiences of trauma, and can access services and supports.