AFL Care demonstration projects serve pregnant adolescents, adolescent parents, their infants, young fathers and/or male partners and extended families. Care grantees implement and test various methods for caring for pregnant and parenting adolescents that are based on various social science theories. In addition to incorporating a strong evaluation design, grantees are expected to develop and follow a thorough logic model. All are required to provide ten core services directly or by referral. These services are comprehensive, easily accessible, and include case management, home visitation, counseling, advocacy, job training, clinic visits, educational services, and social services that emphasize family involvement and assist clients in becoming productive contributors to family and community life. The goals of all care projects are to reduce the number of repeat teen pregnancies, improve infant immunization, and increase educational attainment of clients. Care projects also focus on increasing the positive factors related to good pregnancy outcomes, self-sufficiency, and parenting and provide a variety of services to teen parents, their children, and their families.
There are currently 16 AFL care demonstration projects funded in their second and fifth years of implementation. All Care programs are innovative examples of effective and appropriate partnerships between community organizations and the Federal government. These projects build on what is already known about preventing unhealthy risk behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases. They also enhance good parenting skills and help to reduce child abuse and neglect. All of these Care projects include a rigorous evaluation component to identify best practices for this population.
