Implementation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs for Adolescents

Access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services allows adolescents to decide when to have their first child (without impeding on their life plan), how many children they want, space subsequent births, receive maternal health and the delivery care they need, as well as have healthy babies and lead healthy lives. There are many barriers that prevent adolescents from obtaining sexual and reproductive health services, such as social norms, legal restrictions, inadequate availability of services and lack of quality care. The design and implementation of high-quality services and programming help to combat these barriers and increase access to sexual and reproductive health care.

This toolkit provides information and guidance on implementing SRH services for adolescent populations (10-19 years). The available resources are based on the efforts of several Central American countries to increase access and improve the quality of reproductive health services for adolescents. Sexual and reproductive health is a priority area for adolescent health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Significant progress has been made in reducing teen pregnancy, however, LAC is the region with the second highest adolescent fertility rate (15 to 19 years) worldwide, and the only region with an increasing trend in the number of adolescent pregnancies (10 to 14 years).

Adolescents seeking reproductive health services face a unique set of challenges and require specific care tailored to their needs. As part of this toolkit you will find examples of program planning, design, and implementation, as well as national strategies that address the diverse and multicultural needs of country adolescent populations. There are numerous materials in the form of counseling manuals and training modules that focus on providing integrated care.  

Presented are a collection of selected resources for health policy makers, program managers, service providers and other technical health personnel. The toolkit is comprised of the following modules: 

• Political and strategic frameworks & norms
• Implementation experience and program management
• Training
• Educational materials

Many items found in the toolkit can be adapted or revised for use in specific country contexts and unique program circumstances. The toolkit provides a few resources on quality improvement and data management in the context of adolescent reproductive health. However, for more in-depth information please see our Reproductive Health Toolkit, m-Health Toolkit, and our Quality Improvement for Maternal, Child, and Neonatal Health Services Toolkit.