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Fostering young mothers and babies

Evidence is becoming more firm about pregnancies for some girls in care not being soley negative and that having a baby was becoming more of a positive experience, giving them someone to love and bear responsibility for. With the right support, often in foster care, parenthood for these girls has also been found to be positive as has their standard of care for their child.

There is ample evidence that suggests that babies who did not have the opportunity for attachment to their mothers were often negatively effected in their self esteem and ability to make positive relationships with others, often throughout their lives.

This is clearly an argument to make every effort to support young mothers towards good parenting and against frequent changes of placement in babyhood, along with extended foster care placement past the age of eighteen.

Research on looked after children’s health needs, suggests that the most needy children – those in care – suffered from being sometimes the most neglected. Their episodes in care could sometimes subject them to further damage, rather than help to remedy their problems.

The Government has shown concern about this issue, however there has been critiscim that that their responses are more focussed on corporate priorities rather than practical ways of helping children. There was a danger that Government target-setting might lead to bureaucracy dominated care.

Parent & Child Foster care placements.

Parent and Child Foster care placements offer a home to a baby or young child together with its parent. This is usually for a period for between 12-24 weeks.

It may be that a parent has not had a positive

family life and postive input from a foster carer

can provide the help a young parent needs with

reassurance, guidance and support during a

period of considerable change

As a foster carer, you would be helping them to

develop their own parenting skills whilst

ensuring the child was in a safe, secure and

nurturing environment.

There are foster carers who have developed skills in this area of work. They take part in assessments and encourage young mothers without taking over their parental responsibilities.

There is a growing need for more fostercarers who are interested in looking after young, most often teenage mothers and their babies.

For more information

Tracy's story

Tracy left school at 15. After a several periods in children homes she was back living with her mother but they continually argued. There was a lot of alcohol being drunk in the family which hardly helped and Tracy soon became pregnant.

‘I planned it, I wanted to have my own baby but when you’re young, you don’t realise what you’re getting yourself into – like the responsibility, and it is a big responsibility. You just think about having this nice baby and showing it off.’

Tracy was not coping and it was decided that she and her unborn babt were at risk so her local social services agreed it was best to place Tracy in a foster home. With no qualifications and an unstable home-life, Julie would have faced an uphill battle trying to provide a secure and loving home for her baby. The statistics show that babies born to teenage mothers often end up in care.

‘At first they wanted to put me into a hotel-place, the local mother and baby hostel. I went there and it was really rough. I hated the look of it but I had been in a foster home before and I quite liked it, so when they asked me if I would like to be placed with a family I said yes.’

Tracy was five months pregnant when she moved to foster care. She had her baby son, stayed for six months then moved into her own flat and with help, started a hairdresser course at her local college. With the help of a fostercarer, mum and baby were given the best start possible.