1. Caring for Pregnant and Parenting Youth
Tools to Support Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care

2. Welcome! Today we will cover:
Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Youth in your home
Utilizing the Pregnant and Parenting Teen Guidebook and Tip Sheets
Partnering with the child welfare team
Health and Safety Visits
Shared Planning Meetings
Identifying community resources and needed services

3. https://thenationalcampaign.org/resource/crucial-connection#
A Crucial Connection: Working Together to Address Teen Pregnancy Among Youth in Foster Care

4. What were your initial thoughts about the video we just watched
What were your initial thoughts about the video we just watched? Have you ever had a parenting father in your home? What about a pregnant or parenting mother? Did you see any examples of how Caregivers could support pregnant and parenting youth in care?
Discussion:

5. Pregnant and Parenting Youth in the System
Teen parents are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system
The children of teen parents are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system
Aparicio, E., Pecukonis, E. V., & O'Neale, S. (2015). "The love that I was missing": Exploring the lived experience of motherhood among teen mothers in foster care.Children and Youth Services Review, 51, Retrieved from

6. Risk Factors
Youth in care identified these factors as putting them at risk for early pregnancy:
Low self-esteem as a result of the stigma associated with being in foster care
A lack of guidance, making it easier to succumb to peer pressure
(3) Lack of consistent relationships with trusting adults
(4) A history of abuse and neglect
(5) Lack of opportunity during adolescence to experience “normal” and “healthy” intimate and social relationships
(6) Wanting someone to love
Concern about birth control
From Help Me Succeed: A Guide for Supporting Youth in Foster Care to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, By The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

7. Aimee’s Scenario 1: Areas to Address
Work in table groups Based on the scenario, what are the areas to address? How can you support Aimee? Report Back to larger group
Discussion:

8. Shared Planning Meetings
Must occur within 10 days of the youth’s disclosure of pregnancy to:
Identify needed services
Identify how the youth will be supported to make healthy decisions
Discuss Tribal enrollment if applicable
Distribute the Guidebook & Tip Sheets

9. It’s important for youth to:
Shared Planning Meetings
It’s important for youth to:
Engage in services:
Medical
Educational
Parenting
Social/Emotional
Mental Health
Chemical Dependency
Build positive connections with:
Peers
Mentors
Develop:
Healthy Relationships
Increase:
Resiliency & capacity to overcome adversity

10. Shared Planning Meetings
What role does the caregiver play at a Shared Planning Meeting? Report Back to larger group
Discussion:

11. Pregnant Youth The Crucial Issues for Attention:
Health and Safety Visits
Shared Planning Meeting
Pregnancy services
Referrals to community resources
The needs of the unborn child after the 28th week of pregnancy
Placement options
Education and ILP needs
Fatherhood Engagement

12. Parenting Youth The Crucial Issues for Attention:
Health and Safety Visits
Accessing medical services
The youth’s role as a parent
Referrals to community resources
Education and ILP needs
Fatherhood Engagement
Tribal Enrollment if applicable
Infant Safety Policy

13. Accessing Needed Services
Independent Living
Community Mental Health/Infant Mental Health
Safe Babies Safe Moms
Medical Care, TANF & WIC
Early Head Start
Nurse Family Partnership
Parents as Teachers
Circle of Security
Incredible Years
Triple P
NCAST Assessment
Safe Sleep
Period of Purple Crying
ASQ developmental assessment

14. Infant Safety The Crucial Issues for Attention:
Newborn: Plan of Safe Care
0-6 Months: Period of Purple Crying
0-12 Months: Infant Safe Sleep

15. Infant Safe Sleep

16. Infant Safe Sleep

17. The Period of Purple Crying

18. The Importance of Connections
Health Care
Education Social Services
Teen parents who receive support from caregivers are more likely to participate in crucial parenting services
Lachance, C. R., Barrus, B. B., & Scott, A. R. (2012). Building an evidence base to inform interventions for pregnant and parenting adolescents: A call for rigorous evaluation. American Journal of Public Health, 102(10),

19. Aimee’s Scenario 2: Rules and Roles
Work in pairs Based on the scenario, come up with ideas about rules and roles in your household Report Back to larger group
Discussion:

20. What Caregivers Need to Know
Receiving the Supplemental Rate
Parenting the Youth while coaching the youth to parent
Supports and Services available for the Caregiver
Navigating potential conflicts
Using the Caregiver Tip Sheet

21. Tools to Support Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care

22. Questions: Discussion:
Review the tool kit for questions and answers around: -Child Custody -Parenting -Supports and Services -Responsibilities Choose a question from each section for group discussion
Discussion:

23. Supporting Youth Discussion:
How can Caregivers help parenting youth? Are there specific ways Caregivers can help parenting fathers? Generate a list of ideas as a large group
Discussion:

24. Did you walk away with:
An understanding of the rights, duties and responsibilities of youth, caregivers and workers?
Ideas for setting clear rules and roles in your home?
Ideas about appropriate services and supports?
Knowledge of when and how you should participate in Shared Planning Meetings and Health and Safety Visits?
A toolkit with resources?
Knowledge of appropriate safety expectations?

25. Closure & Evaluations
Any Questions? Thank you! Please take a moment to complete the course evaluation.