The Try, Test and Learn Fund: Supporting Expecting and Parenting Teens Project

Overview

Supporting Expecting and Parenting Teens Project is an early intervention, pre-ParentsNext project that will provide timely, physical and mental healthcare and other supports to expecting and parenting teens (E&PTs) and their child that spans pre, during and post-birth care. The project will provide a parent-centred approach whereby the E&PT is connected with health and other services during and after pregnancy, with the help of a trusted mentor in selected sites. The mentor will work intensively with E&PTs (and their families) to support them prior to the birth of the baby (where possible), at the time of the birth and during the child’s first months. The project will be accessible to all young people aged under 25 who started receiving Parenting Payment at age 19 or under and who are still receiving an income support payment. The participants will primarily be identified through health services such as hospitals, in areas with high rates of teenage parents. An online platform will be developed to help E&PTs access the support they need to achieve their short-term and long-term goals. Participants will work with a trusted mentor to develop their individualised pathway plan that identifies issues and barriers that young parent is facing. The project will fill the gap that exists between the time of the young person discovering they are pregnant and the time that they are required, through Centrelink mutual obligation requirements, to develop a participation plan and possibly enter the Australian Government’s ParentsNext program.