Empowering teen parents key to long-term change
Vulnerable teen parents and their children will receive increased assistance with a package of initiatives providing intensive case management, supported housing and support for teenage fathers.
The three new initiatives will receive $14.901 million over the next four years, with ongoing funding in out years.
Half of that total ($7.92m) will go to boosting the number of teen parent co-ordinators from nine to 19 by April 2011, and refocusing their role into that of intensive case workers. This responds to the findings of a 2009 evaluation which noted that many Teen Parent Service Co-ordinators were carrying case loads higher than originally envisaged.
These case workers will provide intensive case management and connect vulnerable teen parent families to services and support in 19 high-needs communities. They will support teen parents to stay in education or prepare for future employment, and link them to antenatal care, housing, budgeting and parenting services. By brokering initial introductions to support services, teens will be more confident to access services them selves in future. They will also ensure the children of teen parents are participating in Well Child/Tamariki Ora health checks and immunisation programmes services, along with introducing teen parents to quality childcare and early childhood education options. Preventing further unplanned pregnancies will be another focus.
Key to the approach will be establishing volunteer neighbourhood support in nine communities from April 2011. These will provide support for teen parents who are not facing major challenges, but who may be isolated and could benefit from support to better connect them with their neighbourhoods. The focus is on developing good parents. Young parents have tremendous capacity for learning and will learn best in an environment where they are at ease.
Government is also investing $6.251m over four years for up to seven supported houses for vulnerable teen parents and their children in high-priority communities. These will provide 24-hour, seven-day support by trained staff and will be available from January 2011. This initiative will be a partnership between MSD and community organisations, such as family support, iwi, churches and culturally based groups.
Another $0.730m will be invested over four years into developing parenting support guidelines to help providers deliver services for teen fathers. Parenting support will provide these fathers with information and skills to prepare for the birth of their child, parent their children effectively, and identify and respond to their children’s health, education and social needs.
Work on the guidelines is expected to get underway in the next few weeks, with providers selected to deliver services to teen fathers based on the guidelines at a later stage.
