Teenage Pregnancy Research Report - 3p Consulting

Barriers to Accessing SupportSupport for young parents tends to fall into two categories;programs which teach practical parenting skills(assessing the health of your baby, changing nappiesetc.) and programs which address broader concernssuch as financial hardships and social inclusion.Although general support programs for new mothers areavailable, teen mothers and single mothers are the leastlikely to access it and when they do, they are unlikelyto continue with the programs. 7 It has been shown thatchildren from families with poor social support networks,such as extended families and peer networks, andthat make limited use of new parent support programsare at increased risk of poor health and developmentaloutcomes. 8There are a number of factors that contribute to this. Manyyoung mothers stated that they found leaving the house tobe a terrifying prospect and placed them in a vulnerableposition where they could be easily judged by society. 9Taking public transport to health centres, for example,meant that some young mothers had to take multiple buseswhile carrying bags, prams and their child which they foundto be stressful and at times embarrassing. Some teenmothers had even become wary of visiting support servicesdue to their experiences with similar services during theirpregnancy, stating that they felt judged and stigmatised byhealth care professionals. 10 Other reports state that lackof publicity about services, costs, rigid eligibility criteria,limited availability and a general tardiness in response toperceived emergencies were also significant barriers toaccessing support services. 11Some interesting research conducted in Australia showsthat the age of the parents has only a modest impacton the outcomes for their child. Rather it is more likelyunderlying issues of socio-economic disadvantage thatcontribute to the outcomes discussed in the previouschapter, for example higher rates of school absenteeismand difficulty accessing the labour market. 12 With this inmind, support for young parents may be more effectiveif it was targeted towards addressing these underlyingissues rather than placing too much emphasis on the ageof the parents.Early intervention parenting programs are an example ofsuch an approach. Research conducted in Australia in2006 showed that teaching parenting skills as early aspractical reduced the instances of child maltreatment andincreased the overall wellbeing of parents and child in theimmediate term. 13 These programs focus on developingcaring families and positive parenting habits whichsupport safe and supportive environments for children todevelop.Parenting SupportResearch evidence indicates that intensive parentinginterventions can produce good outcomes for childrenand also that teen parents have positive and enthusiasticresponses to parenting support programs. 14 There aremany different types of teen-specific parenting programs/services but they can be categorised under the umbrellaof either improving knowledge or skills about parenting orproviding support aimed at helping to reduce the stressesassociated with parenting.Examples of the former include formal and informalinterventions to increase parenting skills, improvingparent/child relationships through attachment therapyand bonding, early learning programs and therapeuticinterventions. These programs can be delivered in thehome or in formal group settings and are commonlystaffed by trained service providers and/or healthprofessionals. The latter involves providing respite, directsupport, general and targeted support groups and visitingspecialist presenters for example.The Sure Start Family and Parenting Support evaluationoutlines both good practice principles of parentingsupport and characteristics of evidence based parentingprograms and are reproduced on the following page. 1579