Access to basic needs is key to a successful transition to adulthood, but gaps in the safety net leave many young people without the supports they need. To address these gaps, human services agencies are increasingly recognizing the importance of engaging young people with lived experience navigating safety net programs. This Urban Institute fact sheet highlights strategies human services agencies can use to develop strategic partnerships. It draws on insights from a series of workgroups with staff at human services agencies and youth-serving nonprofits, as well as young leaders.

This Administration for Children and Families report provides data for fiscal year (FY) 2016 through FY 2021 and presents information regarding TANF expenditures and caseloads, work participation and earnings, the characteristics and financial circumstances of TANF recipients, TANF performance measures, interactions between TANF and child support, as well as specific provisions of state TANF programs. In addition, this report documents current family self-sufficiency and stability-related research, provides national data on non-marital births, and presents child poverty statistics.

This National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Just Detention International recording is accompanied by presentations and transcripts from the July 20, 2023 webinar. The resource offers suggestions on how to communicate about sexual violence as something that men experience and about what services are available for men who are survivors.

Romantic relationships are a common part of adolescence. However, not all relationships are healthy. This Office of Justice Programs special feature resource highlights an overview of teen dating violence, such as a definition as well as signs, statistics, and prevention methods. Additional publications and resources are available.

Helping young people understand the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships is a key part of preventing all forms of violence, including dating violence and human trafficking. By providing opportunities for youth to observe healthy interactions and practicing safe relationship skills, everyone can work to prevent human trafficking. This Administration for Children and Families blogpost offers healthy behaviors to practice with children as well as additional resources that can help build healthy relationships and prevent violence.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) hosted a Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Event in February 2023 and featured a panel of youth engaged in violence prevention efforts in their communities. This recording includes the remarks from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta and OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. The recording is accompanied by a transcript of the Associate Attorney General’s speech.

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Program has teamed up with love is respect to produce a podcast to speak to young people about healthy relationships. In this episode, the group discussed the importance of understanding the warning signs of dating violence, setting healthy boundaries, raising awareness, and promoting safe and healthy relationships.

Addressing teen dating violence, which includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, is a priority for healthy youth development. Teens who experience dating violence – particularly when their victimizations go untreated – may be at increased risk for a range of negative outcomes, including involvement in further intimate partner violence as adults. This National Institute of Justice (NIJ) factsheet discusses what has been learned from NIJ-sponsored research about how to understand and respond to teen dating violence. NIJ elaborates on the following five things about teen dating violence:

1. Teen dating relationships that involve violence often involve mutual violence; 
2. Teen dating violence does not tend to occur in single, isolated instances;
3. A range of risk factors are associated with becoming involved in teen dating violence;
4. Teen dating violence is associated with a range of short- and long-term negative outcomes; and
5. Programs to reduce teen dating violence perpetration and victimization have demonstrated effectiveness.

Recognizing and responding to teen dating violence requires an awareness of the prevalence of dating violence, indicators of abuse in relationships, and steps to take if someone is experiencing dating violence. Dating violence is often overlooked due to preconceived ideas about what abuse looks like in relationships or the false assumption that it is not prevalent in young people's relationships. This toolkit begins with an overview of teen dating violence for all audiences and the subsequent sections provide relevant information directed to parents and students as well as school staff. Case managers and advocates can navigate the modules for relevant resources.

Helping teens develop healthy and respectful relationships early on may protect them from the harmful consequences of dating and other forms of interpersonal violence and set the stage for healthy relationship patterns that persist into adulthood. This Children’s Safety Network recording is accompanied by presentations and supplemental resources from the September 6, 2023 webinar. The material highlighted in this resource includes the Dating Matters initiative, a comprehensive teen dating violence prevention model by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as an expert’s work with Rape Prevention Education grantees, which uses evidence-based strategies to impact broader cultural perspectives on sexual harassment and dating norms.