Mission of the Family and Youth Services Bureau
The mission of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is to support the organizations and communities that work every day to put an end to youth homelessness, adolescent pregnancy and domestic violence.
Purpose
Through the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), FYSB awards grants to State agencies to educate young people on both abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. The program targets youth ages 10-19 who are homeless, in foster care, live in rural areas or in geographic areas with high teen birth rates, or come from racial or ethnic minority groups. The program also supports pregnant youth and mothers under the age of 21.
PREP projects replicate effective, evidence-based program models or substantially incorporate elements of projects that have been proven to delay sexual activity, increase condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reduce pregnancy among youth. Through a systematic review, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) selected 28 models that States could use, depending on the needs and age of the target population in each State.
History
On March 23, 2010, the President signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Act amended Title V of the Social Security Act to include PREP. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families and FYSB jointly oversee the program.
Services
In addition to education on abstinence and contraceptive use, PREP projects also offer services to prepare young people for adulthood by implementing activities that address three or more of the subject areas below:
• Healthy relationships, including development of positive self-esteem and relationship dynamics, friendships, dating, romantic involvement, marriage and family interactions;
• Positive adolescent development, to include promotion of healthy attitudes and values about adolescent growth and development, body image, racial and ethnic diversity, and other related subjects;
• Financial literacy, to support the development of self-sufficiency and independent living skills;
• Parent-child communication skills;
• Education and employment preparation skills; and
• Healthy life skills, such as goal-setting, decision making, negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills, and stress management.
States may also provide referrals to youth for pregnancy prevention-related health care services and may help enroll eligible youth in public assistance programs, like Medicaid, CHIP or any other Federal or State assistance program for which they may be eligible.
Measuring Effectivness
HHS will oversee a large-scale evaluation effort focused on measuring the effectiveness of each project. Performance measures established by HHS include:
• The number of youth served and hours of service delivery;
• Fidelity to the program model or adaptation of the program model for the target population;
• Community partnerships and competence in working with the target population;
• Reported gains in knowledge, changes in behavioral intentions and changes in self-reported behaviors of participants; and
• Community data, like birth rates and the incidence of sexually transmitted infections.
Grant Award Process
FYSB provides PREP funding as formula grants to States. All States and U.S. Territories were eligible to apply for a minimum of $250,000 per year for fiscal years 2010-2014. Allotments were calculated based on the number of young people in each State or Territory. States can administer the project directly or through sub-awards to public or private entities. In FY 2013, a total of $41.7 million was awarded to 49 grantees.
For More Information
For further information about PREP, contact the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 800, N. Bethesda, MD 20852; (301) 608-8098; e-mail: ncfy@acf.hhs.gov.