Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Upcoming Event: November is National Adoption Month
This observance aims to increase national awareness of the need for permanent families for children and youth in the foster care system. This year’s theme, “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family—Just Ask Us,” reflects a focus on the importance of identifying permanent families for the thousands of 15- to 18-year-olds in foster care who are currently less likely to be adopted or who may age out of the system without a stable home. A new tip sheet, Talking with Older Youth About Adoption (PDF, 2 pages) provides child welfare professionals with a framework for how to talk with older youth about permanency and includes suggestions for how to make these conversations more effective.
Get Smart About Drugs
Get Smart About Drugs is DEA's websit for parents, educators, and caregivers that features information about different kinds of drugs and associated paraphernalia, trends and statistics related to substances and their use, teens and drug use, the consequences of using drugs, and how the public can be involved in drug prevention and awareness.
Resource: CampusDrugPrevention.gov
This website serves as a one-stop source of information on preventing and addressing college drug use, including data, news updates, drug scheduling and penalties, publications, research, and more. Institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities can use this information in their efforts to prevent drug abuse among college students and promote health and safety on campus.
Resource: Drugs of Abuse: A DEA Resource Guide
This guide (PDF, 94 pages) provides information on the most commonly abused and misused drugs in the U.S., including their effects on the body and mind, overdose potential, origin, legal status, and other key facts. Medical practitioners, law enforcement officials, educators, families, and communities can use this resource in their work to prevent and address substance abuse.
Campus Drug Prevention
Campus Drug Prevention is DEA’s website for professionals working to prevent drug misuse among college students.
Operation Prevention
Operation Prevention is DEA’s collaboration with Discovery Education that offers school-, community-, and workplace-based prevention resources.
Red Ribbon Campaign
The Red Ribbon Campaign is DEA's campaign for parents, teachers, educators, and community organizations to raise awareness about substance abuse.
Red Ribbon Patch Program
The Red Ribbon Patch Program is designed to provide Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts the opportunity to earn a patch from the DEA by engaging in anti-drug activities in celebration of Red Ribbon Week.
Get Smart about Drugs Publications
DEA's Get Smart about Drugs publications database, featuring English and Spanish versions of guides, posters, fact cards, and other materials.
- Drugs of Abuse: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/sites/getsmartaboutdrugs.com/files/publications/Drugs%20of%20Abuse%202020-Web%20Version-508%20compliant-4-24-20.pdf
- Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent’s Guide to Prevention: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/sites/getsmartaboutdrugs.com/files/publications/GrowingUpDrugFree%28Final-508%29%282017%29.pdf
- Preventing Marijuana Use Among Youth and Young Adults: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/sites/getsmartaboutdrugs.com/files/publications/Preventing%20Marijuana%20Use%20%28Final-508%29%20%286-11-19%29.pdf
- Prescription for Disaster: How Teens Abuse Medicine: www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/sites/getsmartaboutdrugs.com/files/publications/DEA_PrescriptionForDisaster-2018ed_508_0.pdf
- Prevention with Purpose: A Strategic Planning Guide for Preventing Drug Misuse Among College Students: www.campusdrugprevention.gov/sites/default/files/Strategic%20Planning%20Guide%20%28Final-Online%29%20%281%29.pdf
- Fact cards for adults about various drugs – www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/factcards
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is DEA's event for parents working with youth and young adults to plan programs to safely dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired prescription medicines.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov is a secure, reliable entry way to discretionary federal grants from multiple agencies. Applicants can use a single comprehensive site to discover and apply for opportunities from all 26 federal grant-making agencies.
Resource: Healthy Native Youth
This website provides culturally-relevant health curricula for Native youth. Tribal health educators, teachers, and parents can use this website to access training and tools for delivering effective, age-appropriate programs. This website was produced collaboratively by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
4-H Military Partnerships
The National 4-H Headquarters, at USDA has established formal partnerships with Army Child and Youth Services, Air Force Airmen and Family Services, Army Child and Youth Services and Navy Child and Youth Programs to support positive youth development education for youth whose parents are serving in the military.
Share with Youth: Advice to Young Adults from Young Adults: Helpful Hints for Policy Change in the Mental Health System
This resource (PDF, 8 pages) can guide youth- and young adult-led organizations that want to make policy changes in the mental health system. Developed bythe Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures and Portland State University, it contains recommendations and quotes from a series of interviews with young adult leaders from advocacy groups that focus on mental health challenges or living in foster care.
Share with Youth: Changing the Rules: A Guide for Youth and Young Adults with Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Change Policy
This policy guide, developed by Pathways RTC (Research and Training Center), is written for youth- and young adult-led groups and organizations that want to make changes in policies related to mental health and other human services that affect them and other transition-age youth. The guide is intended for use by youth and young adults working together within a group or organization to make specific change, usually in partnership with other agencies, groups, or organizations.
Adolescent Mental Health Fact Sheets
OAH produced these updated summary fact sheets that report on adolescent mental health by state, featuring information on positive social skills, depressive symptoms, depressive episodes, and suicidal thoughts, attempts, and resulting injuries.
Healthy Behavior in Adolescence
These resources from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Adolescent Health provide information on health and nutrition in adolesence.
Preventing and Reducing Teen Tobacco Use
OAH has updated its information on teen tobacco use to include new data and resources, including information about e-cigarettes. This page provides information on:
- The health impact of teen tobacco use
- Trends in use
- Risk and protective factors that impact a teen’s likelihood of starting or stopping smoking
- Federal, state, and community strategies and approaches to preventing and reducing teen tobacco use
- Tips for parents on communicating with their teen about smoking
- Additional resources on adolescent tobacco use and services to help users quit
OAH Picks: Recapping 2014 and Six Trends in Adolescent Health
This list provides an overview of some of the major themes seen in adolescent health in 2014 and offers links to relevant resources. The top six trends are (1) increasing global attention on adolescence and an emphasis on young adulthood, (2) encouraging positive youth development, (3) implementing evidence-based programs for adolescents, (4) promoting physical activity and healthy eating, (5) preventing teen violence, and (6) promoting preventive health services for adolescents.
Promising Strategies and Existing Gaps in Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Teens
This report outlines promising practices in working with pregnant and parenting teens, effective programs for supporting this population, and the discussions and suggestions of experts in the field.
Talking with Teens: Conversation Tools
This article from the Office of Adolescent Health provides tips and resources for parents on starting important conversations with their teens and on how to take advantage of teachable moments.
The Affordable Care Act and Adolescents
This brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Office of Adolescent Health provides data on the eligible uninsured adolescent population, as well as the provisions in the Affordable Care Act that will have an impact on young people. An accompanying infographic (PDF, 1 page) features some of the highlights.
The Truth About Tanning Infographic
This infographic developed by the Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Adolescent Health aims to bust some of the common myths about tanning and provides information about the negative effects that tanning can have on health.
Transitioning to College
This article, from the Department of Health and Human Services, provides tips for parents, healthcare providers, and college staff on helping teens makes healthy and safe transitions to college. Topics addressed include healthcare, mental health, nutrition and fitness, substance use, and healthy relationships
Webcast Archive: Make the Connection: How Positive Youth Development Offers Promise for Teen Health and Teen Pregnancy Prevention
The archive of this OAH webcast, which highlighted the role of positive youth development in the prevention of teen pregnancy and other risky behaviors, is now available for viewing. A resource list (PDF, 4 pages) of suggested readings from the webcast speakers is also available, as well as the archived #TeenPYD Twitter conversation.