STRATEGIC PLAN - ASPE - U.S. Department of Health and Human ...

CHAPTER 4: human servicesprogram features one-on-one mentoring for childrenand youth with disabilities across the Nation toenhance their physical fitness, with the goal of serving 6million children with disabilities.HHS also participates on the recently formed FederalMentoring Council, an offshoot of the CoordinatingCouncil on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention(see the section, Collaborative Efforts to Support Youth,for more information on this Council). Convened andstaffed by the CNCS, the Council seeks to improvecoordination and better leverage resources amongall the mentoring programs that exist in the FederalGovernment. The Council includes representativesfrom the U.S. Departments of Defense, Education,Interior, Justice, Labor, and many others. The Councilworks to identify key ways in which the FederalGovernment can advance the goal of involving 3 millionnew mentors by 2010, and then act on those findings.Abstinence EducationACF administers two abstinence education programs—the Community-Based Abstinence Education programand the State Abstinence Education program. ACF’sabstinence education programs provide grants tocommunity-based organizations, including faith-basedorganizations, as well as to States, to develop andimplement abstinence programs. The Community-Based Abstinence Education program focuses onadolescents, ages 12 through 18, and targets theprevention of teenage pregnancy and premarital sexualactivity. The Community-Based Abstinence Educationprogram also supports a national public awarenesscampaign designed to help parents communicate withtheir children about health risks of early sexual activity.The State Abstinence Education program enables Statesto create or augment existing abstinence educationprograms and, where appropriate, provide mentoring,counseling, and adult supervision to promoteabstinence from sexual activity, with a focus on thosegroups most likely to bear children out of wedlock.ACF expects that all grantees will present medicallyaccurate information. ACF is requiring CommunityBased Abstinence Education grantees to certify thatcurricula are medically accurate and is conductingreviews for medical accuracy as part of the grant awardprocess.Within OPHS, the Adolescent Family Life Program (AFL)also supports abstinence education activities. ThroughTitle XX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C., 300zet seq.), AFL authorizes two types of demonstrationprojects: (1) care projects to develop, implement, andevaluate innovative, comprehensive, and integratedapproaches to the delivery of health care, education,and social services for pregnant and parentingadolescents and their families; and (2) preventionprojects to develop, implement, and evaluate programinterventions to promote abstinence from sexualactivity among preadolescents and adolescents.AFL also places a strong emphasis on ensuring thateducational materials are medically accurate.OPHS, through an interagency agreement withACF, has launched an initiative that focuses on theimportance of parental communication. The ParentsSpeak Up National Campaign (PSUNC) is an educationalcampaign aimed at encouraging parents to talk withtheir children early and often about abstinence. Thisinteractive campaign will include radio, print, andtelevision advertisements to raise awareness. AllPSUNC products direct parents to the 4Parents.govWeb site for further information and skills on talkingearly and often with their children about sex andabstinence. 4Parents.gov provides concise, helpfulhealth information regarding the importance of parentteencommunication. The Web site also providesspecific information on sexually transmitted diseasesand teen pregnancy, benefits of abstinence from sexualinvolvement, drugs and alcohol, development ofhealthy teen relationships, and preparation for futuremarriage and family.100 HHS Strategic Plan FY 2007-2012