August 2026Vol. 1, No. 3Tips for Partnering With Expectant and Parenting Youth

What does it mean to raise a child while you're still growing up yourself?

Navigating pregnancy and potentially becoming a parent is a major life transition. For youth in or transitioning from foster care, it can mean navigating adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy, and parenthood all at once. This critical and often overlooked population has different needs than other youth in foster care and require specialized support.

Over the last 5 years, Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed a suite of products about expectant and parenting youth in foster care, including a bulletin for professionals, factsheet for families, State statute publication, and podcast episodes (85, 86, and 87). In the development of many of these products, Information Gateway partnered with young people from FosterClub who were either pregnant, expecting, or parenting during their time in foster care to learn from their experiences—what worked, what didn't, and what they wished professionals knew. The tips outlined in this article are informed by those insights.

Why Specialized Support Matters

Expectant and parenting youth have unique developmental and contextual needs. Youth continue to develop decision-making, problem-solving, and emotional regulation skills into adulthood. Additionally, expectant and parenting youth in care often face layered challenges, such as fewer placement options, limited social supports, histories of trauma, and heightened scrutiny as parents. While there are some programs and services available to support expectant and parenting youth in care, young people may not know about them or find them difficult to navigate. This is where an informed, unbiased adult (e.g., a caseworker, guardian ad litem, court appointed special advocate, relative, mentor, or community member) can make a big difference in a young person's life at a time when he or she needs it most.

Big Picture Best Practices

At the system level, there are practices and standards that agencies can operationalize so that professionals are prepared to support expectant and parenting youth. Just having policies in place can ensure youth are not overlooked or feeling as though they must fend for themselves. The following strategies can help improve systemwide support of expectant and parenting youth in care:

Coordinate across systems. Aligning services across child welfare, health, education, early childhood, and other human services systems can make it easier for young people to access benefits and resources without feeling overwhelmed.
Implement two-generation approaches. Two-generation support that bolsters young parents and prioritizes the safety and well-being of their children can interrupt cycles of poverty and maltreatment.
Partner with lived experts. No one knows how well something works quite like someone who lived it firsthand. Partner with those who experienced pregnancy or parenting in foster care in shaping policy, research, and practice.
Improve data use. When organizations collect and leverage data on expectant and parenting youth in foster care, they are better able to identify which policies, practices, programs, and services can improve youth well-being and outcomes.

Quick Tips for Those Working Directly With Youth

For those who work with young people, like caseworkers, consider incorporating the following practical tips:

Take a strengths-based, youth-centered approach. Partner with youth as decision-makers and respect their autonomy and parenting decisions. Support informed choices rather than directing them.
Strengthen support networks. Lasting relationships with consistent, caring relatives and other adults can ensure young people have support systems that last beyond their time in foster care.
Engage young fathers and partners intentionally. Fathers are often overlooked by the child welfare system despite the positive impact they can have on their children's lives. When working with expectant and parenting youth, engage fathers and partners early and often, and treat them as equals who need the same support and resources.
Connect youth to concrete supports. Know what resources are available so youth are not left to find support on their own.
Prepare for the transition to adulthood. Comprehensive transition planning for young parents should begin early and address logistics such as housing, financial planning, prenatal and pediatric care, education, child care, and employment.

Professionals play a critical role in reducing barriers, building supportive systems, and empowering young families. Supporting expectant and parenting youth is not optional—it's a key strategy for improving outcomes across generations.

"One of the reasons why families continue to be system involved is because needs continue to not be met. Allowing people the tools to be self-sufficient and giving them the space to reach permanency and stability on their terms is important. . .If this cannot happen, then the cycle will repeat."—Lanitta, lived experience leader with FosterClub who experienced pregnancy and parenting in foster care