For Health Providers
Minors living in foster care maintain all the same consent and confidentiality rights that non-dependent minors are afforded. In addition, California state law extends additional rights to youth living in foster care to reduce barriers and improve access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care.
Rights and protections for youth in foster care include:
- Right to access SRH care on the minor’s consent (consistent with California law)
- Right to privacy inexamination by a health provider, unless the youth specifically
request otherwise - Right to choose their own provider of SRH care, if the provider accepts MediCal or other approved insurance
- Right to confidentiality as relates to sexual and reproductive health information
- Right to age-appropriate, medically accurate education/information about sexual and reproductive health
- Right to transportation (by caregiver, group home or social worker) to obtain SRH care in a timely manner
Resources & Support
- Where does it say this in the law?
- Foster Youth Bill of Rights and fast facts about the California Healthy Youth Act.
- What are the SRH services minors can access on their own?
- Consent and confidentiality rights of youth in foster care.
- When is a health provider mandated to report sexual activity as child abuse?
- Information on minor sexual intercourse reporting.
- Chart on consent to treatment for foster youth by custody and placement.
- Document on how to identify victims of human trafficking.
The trainings on this page provide guidance to health care practitioners on how to better support foster youth in their sexual and reproductive wellness.
These resources can help you understand, support, and protect foster youths’ reproductive and sexual health rights. It can help you learn about foster youth rights, programs, and services available as well as help you find solutions to challenges that foster youth face in accessing reproductive and sexual health care.
Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Clinical guidelines on responding to adolescent relationship abuse
- Read The Foster-Friendly Healthcare Toolkit: A Guide to Delivering Quality Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare to Youth in Foster Care
- Adolescent health safety card
- RHEPcon23 Session video on The Foster-Friendly Healthcare Toolkit: A Guide to Delivering Quality Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare to Youth in Foster Care
- Use this website for clinic referral resources
- Resource guide to see if the clinic is right for youth
- Find more resources for youth on our website
Advice from Youth
- Self-Taught Podcast: Former Foster Youth On Sex, Health, And Life
- Fostering Parenthood Podcast Reimagining “The Talk” With Caregivers And Foster Youth.
- Advice from youth for youth PowerPoint on Self-Love, Sexual Intimacy, and Healthy Relationships amid COVID-19
- Watch this short video on meeting our youth advisory board member, Phillisha.
- Document on top tips for youth engagement
Youth Speak on COVID-19
- Youth and caregiver speak PowerPoint on Creating Stronger Caregiver-Youth Relationships by embracing awkward conversations. This webinar is part 2 of the 2020 LA RHEP Summer Learning Series.
- Parenting Youth Speak video on how they are experiencing COVID-19 and ways to support them. This webinar is part 3 of the 2020 LA RHEP Summer Learning Series.
- Youth perspective video on Health and Health Access in Times of COVID-19.
- Full report on former foster youth experiences with barriers and healing during COVID-19
- Report Summary on former foster youth experiences with barriers and healing during COVID-19
