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Rationale for
Development of YFS
Decision Making Tool
Gwyn Hainsworth
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Young people (10-24) have the
right to lead healthy sexual and
reproductive lives
Yet their SRH needs go unmet, in
part because they face barriers
in accessing services, such as:
Restrictive laws and policies
Provider bias or judgmental
attitudes
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Distance from facilities
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Costs of services and/or
transportation
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Lack of privacy and
confidentiality
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Inconvenient hours or long
waiting times
Youth-friendly services (YFS) can
mitigate these barriers
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Characteristics of
Youth-Friendly
Services
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Equitable
Accessible
Acceptable
Appropriate
Effective
Health Provider
Characteristics
Health Facility
Characteristics
Program Design
Characteristics
Providers trained in YFS
Convenient hours
All young people, regardless of sex,
age, marital status or parity, able to
access a wide range of SRH services
All staff are oriented on YFS
Services
conveniently located
IEC materials are available
Free or subsidized
Staff treat male and female
young people with respect and services
demonstrate non-judgmental
attitudes
Community health workers/peer
educators are available onsite and/or
in the community
Providers are aware of and
apply AYSRH-related laws and
policies
Youth involvement in the design and
monitoring of services
Short wait times
Providers spend adequate time Privacy &
with young clients
confidentiality
ensured
Guidelines exist and are well-known
by all staff
Drop-in clients are welcomed
Publicity on YFS
WHY THIS TOOL?
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Many channels or modalities through which to provide YFS
Yet we mostly see separate spaces or clinic with recreational
activities
But this model may not always be the most appropriate
May be more costly
Has not been shown to be consistently scalable or
sustainable
Need to shift from small-scale YFS initiatives to adolescent-responsive health
systems--from a one-size-fits-all model to an adapted and contextualized
model appropriate to the country and the needs of its young people.
This tool guides the decision-making process to develop an adapted YFS model.
For more information contact Gwyn Hainsworth
GHainsworth@pathfinder.org
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