ReSHAPING
ReSHAPING
THE LATEST RESEARCH IN ONE PLACE.
Being an adolescent is complicated enough. What if you are in foster care? Sexually active? Pregnant? A parent? The ReSHAPING network of scholars is finding out more and improving these experiences.
The Importance of Supportive adults: A Virtual Coffee Chat
May 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET
Prevention Science Program, Senior Research Associate Institute of Behavioral Science | University of Colorado Boulder
Supportive adults—such as teachers, coaches, mentors, and case managers—can play an incredibly important role in the lives of young people involved with child welfare services.
Join Healthy Teen Network and ReSHAPING member Katie Massey Combs on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 2PM ET, for a virtual coffee chat where we’ll dive into Dr. Comb’s study exploring how caring adult relationships can facilitate young people getting essential information about contraception.
This study found that young people involved in the child welfare system who had a supportive adult were more likely to (1) know how to get contraception upon entering 8th or 9th grade and (2) receive contraceptive information/education in the past year while in 10th or 11th grade.
These associations were significant for all young people but especially so for young people who often have fewer opportunities for conversations about sexual and reproductive health, including young men and young people from racial and ethnic groups who have historically experienced oppression.
In this coffee chat, Dr. Combs will provide a brief overview of the study, then open the floor for an informal, conversation-style discussion among participants.
This research reported was supported by National Institutes for Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
What's New
The latest research
Knowledge of and access to contraceptive information and services among teenagers with child welfare involvement: A descriptive study across the transition to high school
Working in the Aftermath: How Texas Social Services Providers Are Navigating Services Post Roe
Adoption Competency in a Post-Roe v. Wade Reality
A content analysis of case records: Two-generations of child protective services involvement
Parenting under pressure: Experiences of parenting while aging out of foster care.
Storms and blossoms: Foster care system alumni parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic
Developing a Learning Agenda to Address the Needs of Young Parents in Care
Early Pregnancy and Parenthood among Child Welfare-Involved Youth
Fatherhood in Foster Care: Research and Guidance on Working with Young Fathers
COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes among Parenting Foster Care Alumni: A Call to Action
ReSHAPING (Research on Sexual Health and Adolescent Parenting in Out-of-Home Environments Group) is an international network of scholars in social work, public health, public policy, and psychology dedicated to collaborative research on understanding needs and improving outcomes related to sexual health and parenting for youth who are homeless, trafficked, or in out-of-home environments, whether in child welfare, juvenile justice, or other systems.
Through this website and social media, we disseminate our individual and joint work. We also provide information about trainings, other research and reports for those interested in this topic. Our hope is to provide a repository that is useful to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
Our Members
Amy Dworsky
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Kristen Ethier
Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago
Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work
University of Oklahoma, Tulsa
College of Charleston
Social Work, University of Toronto
Children’s Data Network, University of Southern California
University of Southern California
Katie Massey Combs
University of Colorado Boulder
Elizabeth M. Norell (formerly, Aparicio)
University of Maryland, College Park
Florida State University
College of Social Work
Montclair State University
Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy
Concordia University – Chicago