Policy Online carries a link (1.11.15) to an Anglicare Victoria report about the value of a therapeutic, community-style support model of care for pregnant women in or transitioning from home care.
‘[The report] explores the perceived need and demand for a therapeutic community style model to support young women who become pregnant either while they are in out of home care, or upon their transition from care.
‘Children and young people in out of home care (OHC) are widely considered to be some of the most vulnerable members of our community, with early experiences of trauma, instability and adversity associated with ongoing vulnerability into adulthood. The period when young people exit the care system (typically at 18 years of age or even younger) is a point of particular risk. In the absence of ongoing developmentally appropriate support, immediate outcomes too often include homelessness, unemployment, contact with the Criminal Justice System, poverty, drug and alcohol use, poor mental health, social disconnection, and, for young women in particular, early parenthood.
‘The Baby and Me project is an exploratory study whose aim is to better understand the incidence and experience of early pregnancy and parenthood for young women with current or recent experiences of the OHC system.’