Session 1 workshops
2 Understanding the Impact of Childhood Trauma in Pregnant & Parenting Young Women – Stella Penola
Providing young women with an understanding that their history of trauma can, and often does have impact on their pregnancies and births, normalising their feelings, assisting them to seek support when appropriate, and even encouraging the use of techniques for managing that impact.
3 Unplanned pregnancy options – Pamela Doherty, Children by Choice Education & training Coordinator
This session will increase attendee’s ability to support young people experiencing an unplanned pregnancy to navigate the decision making process and access their preferred pregnancy options. We will share Children by Choice’s specialist knowledge and expertise in this area. We will describe the experiences of young woman using our service, the significant barriers they face in accessing reproductive health information and share strategies to support these women. This will include utilising best practice principles and dealing with values.
Session 2 workshops
1 Parents Next – Ali Jalayer, Assistant Secretary, Specialist Programmes Branch
ParentsNext is a pre-employment program that helps parents with young children to plan and prepare for future employment by the time their children are in school.
Program eligibility is targeted, providing early intervention to parents on Parenting Payment who are most at risk of long-term welfare dependency. ParentsNext focuses on parents’ needs so it is designed to be flexible, recognises parents’ caring responsibilities, does not require them to look for work, and incorporates family friendly sites and activities. Evaluation evidence shows ParentsNext 2016-2018 significantly increased parents’ wellbeing and increased their chances of being in study or finding work. Further evaluation is being undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the expanded program.
The Australian Government remains committed to the ParentsNext program. Consultation with stakeholders continues with review processes and settings to ensure the program meets stated objectives.
2 Call the Midwife!! – Midwife, Debbi Sutherland
Debbi shares the challenges and wonderful opportunities presented when providing flexible midwifery care within an integrated team. Qld Health and Micah Projects combine to provide individualised support to vulnerable young families in the community.
3 Improving Education and Health Outcomes for Young Parents – Jo Duffy, Community Liaison Midwife, Women & Children’s Health Network, South Australia and Jasmine Field, Community Health Worker, Talking Realities
Metropolitan Youth Health – Talking Realities Young Parenting Program is a unique, innovative, therapeutic, community-based, collaborative, wrap around program that aims to improve the health and educational outcomes of young parents and their children, while also contributing to the capacity of young people to make informed choices regarding their health, pregnancy and young parenthood
With a trauma informed lens and flexible delivery approach, the program successfully addresses barriers to accessing health services and supports. The program has evolved over the past 20 years and features a one stop shop that includes 1:1 support; clinic, midwives, nurses, doctors and social workers and access to a range of antenatal education, accredited learning programs and services on site.
The presentation will provide an overview of the program, including the practice approaches used, and video snap shots of young people’s experiences.
Session 3 workshops
1 How to run a campaign – Lyn Allison
Pregnant and parenting young people can face significant barriers in getting support, exercising choices and completing their education. Services are at best patchy and funding for them is usually insecure. Governments are aware of the problem but in the last decade, little progress has been made. In this workshop we will discuss how to:
- develop a campaign strategy
- make the case for change
- engage and support young people to have a voice in advocacy
- capitalise on the work of others, particularly the National Children’s Commissioner
- work with media to build awareness and support
2 Intimate Partner Violence and the Impact on Teenage Mothers – Michelle Forsyth
Many teenage pregnant and parenting girls have been subjected to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), with many having to seek family violence restraining orders (FVRO). The correlation between intergenerational trauma experienced through domestic family violence (DFV) is often reenacted in the intimate relationships of teenage mothers. The presentation will highlight the impact this has on the emotional and social well-being of both the mother and the child/children involved in DFV relationships and help-seeking tendencies of the teenage mum. The breakout session will be on what we know about DFV and IPV from working first hand with teenage mothers and I will provide evidence-based findings related to the experience we have whilst working with teenage mothers and their children. I will provide a case discussion on the impact of IPV, with anonymity of the student involved.