New Gold Standard for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Program & Design

Understanding and applying human-centered design (HCD) to adolescent sexual and reproductive health (HCD+ASRH) for better health programming, is a growing field of practice. However, a key challenge facing practitioners and investors is that there has been no real way to measure what quality approaches look like in program design and implementation.

HCDExchange has launched the first-ever Quality and Standards Framework for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) practitioners and investors. The framework provides a gold standard for high-quality program design, implementation, and evaluation, and guides application of HCD to ASRH programming. It was created by experts and validated by the HCDExchange Community of Practice.

The framework includes simple and actionable tips and resources for practitioners and funders to integrate these standards. The quality and standards principles highlighted in the framework are:

1. Engage youth as design partners.
2. Ensure equitable inclusion of different subsets of young people.
3. Develop and implement safeguarding plans for young people.
4. Embrace an iterative approach to program design and implementation.
5. Integrate primary and secondary learnings and evidence.
6. Engage the ecosystem of influencers.
7. Integrate disciplines essential for adolescent wellbeing.
8. Document methods and key design decisions.

HCDExchange is implemented by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. and inSupply Health.

For more information please contact:
Liz McNeil, Senior Community Manager
Edem Torkonoo, Communications Specialist