Child Welfare Information Gateway
Skip to main content
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • Administration for Children & Families
  • Children's Bureau
Child Welfare Information Gateway
REPORT ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
FIND HELP WITH A
PERSONAL SITUATION   

Home Topics Publications Library State Resources More Tools & Resources News & Events
REPORT ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
FIND HELP WITH A
PERSONAL SITUATION   
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Chat
  • Free Subscriptions
  • Resources in Spanish
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Chat
  • Resources in Spanish
  • Shopping Cart
  • Home
  • Topics
    • Family-Centered Practice
      • Philosophy and Key Elements of Family-Centered Practice
      • Family-Centered Practice Across the Service Continuum
      • Engaging Families
      • Family-Centered Casework Practice
      • Family Group Decision-Making
      • Engaging Communities to Support Families
      • Creating a Family-Centered Agency Culture
    • Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Definitions of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Identification of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Risk Factors That Contribute to Child Abuse and Neglect
      • People Who Engage in Child Abuse or Neglect
      • Impact of Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Child Abuse & Neglect Fatalities
    • Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
      • National Child Abuse Prevention Month
      • Overview: Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Promoting Child & Family Well-Being
      • Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs
      • Public Awareness & Creating Supportive Communities
      • Developing & Sustaining Prevention Programs
      • Evidence-Based Practice for Child Abuse Prevention
      • Evaluating Prevention Programs
    • Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Introduction to Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
      • Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
      • Assessment in Child Protection
      • Differential Response in Child Protective Services
      • Child Protection Casework Practice
      • Responding to Child Maltreatment Near Fatalities and Fatalities
      • Trauma-Informed Practice in Child Welfare
      • Collaborative Responses to Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Supporting & Preserving Families
      • Supporting Families With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
      • Introduction to Family Support and Preservation
      • In-Home Services Involved With Child Protection
      • Family Support Services
      • Resources for Managers of Family Support and Preservation Services
      • Family Preservation Services
    • Out-of-Home Care
      • National Foster Care Month
      • Overview: Out-of-Home Care
      • Foster Care
      • Group and Residential Care
      • Kinship Care
      • Casework Practice in Out-of-Home Care
      • Transition to Adulthood and Independent Living
      • Placement Decisions
      • Resources for Foster Families
    • Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
      • Overview: Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
      • Reunifying Families
      • Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families
      • Permanency With Relatives and Kin
      • Guardianship
      • Permanency for Specific Youth Populations
      • Legal and Court Issues in Permanency
      • Interjurisdictional Placements
      • Working With Children, Youth, and Families in Permanency Planning
      • Working With Children, Youth, and Families After Permanency
      • Resources for Administrators and Managers About Permanency
      • Resources for Families About Permanency
    • Adoption
      • National Adoption Month
      • Children's Bureau Adoption Call to Action
      • All-In Foster Adoption Challenge
      • Adoption and Guardianship Assistance by State
      • Introduction to Adoption
      • Ethical Issues in Adoption
      • For Adopted People
      • For Adoption Program Managers & Administrators
      • For Expectant Parents Considering Adoption and Birth Parents
      • How to Adopt
      • Laws Related to Adoption
      • Parenting After Adoption
      • Postplacement Adoption Casework Practice
      • Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice
      • Search & Reunion in Adoption
    • Management & Supervision
      • Administering & Managing Child Welfare Agencies & Programs
      • Child Welfare Practice Improvement
      • Disaster Preparedness & Response
      • Ethical Practice & Client Rights
      • Evaluating Program and Practice Effectiveness
      • Funding
      • Information Systems & Data
      • Supervising Child Welfare Services
      • System Reform
      • Training
      • Workforce
    • Systemwide
      • Assessment
      • Behavioral Health & Wellness
      • Courts
      • Cultural Responsiveness
      • Diverse Populations and Communities
      • Domestic Violence
      • Human Trafficking
      • Laws & Policies
      • Service Array
      • Statistics
      • Well-Being
      • Youth
  • Publications
    • Publications Series
    • Browse by Topic
    • Browse by Title
    • índice de Títulos en Español (Spanish Title Index)
  • Library
    • Library Search Help
    • Library Services
  • State Resources
    • State Statutes
    • National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
    • State Guides & Manuals Search
    • State-Related Organizations Lists
    • Adoption and Guardianship Assistance by State
  • More Tools & Resources
    • Related Organizations
    • Learning Center
    • Resources From the Children's Bureau
      • Children's Bureau Discretionary Grants
      • The Story of the Children's Bureau
      • Children's Bureau Video Series
    • Child Welfare Information Gateway Podcast Series
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Webinars
    • Family Engagement Inventory
  • News & Events
    • Free Subscriptions
    • Adoption Triad
    • Children's Bureau Express (CBX)
    • The Grantee Connection
    • New on Information Gateway
    • New From the Children's Bureau
    • Event Calendar
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Supporting & Preserving Families
  • Family Support Services
  • Supporting Young Parents

Supporting Young Parents

Child welfare professionals and others engaging with parenting youth should do so in a strengths-based way that avoids stigmas or judgements. Building resilience and social connections among young parents is vital and can be done by offering supports that enhance parent education, parent-child relationships, economic self-sufficiency, and family violence prevention. Effective programs to support parenting youth tailor to the parent's developmental level, focus on healthcare and child development needs, and connect young parents to a comprehensive array of services. Programs should also promote intergenerational relationships by involving extended family members. The following resources address ways to support young parents, including parents in out-of-home care.

  • State and local examples

Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Parenting Teens
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Explores the issue of teen pregnancy in the United States from a mental health perspective and describes impacts of poor mental health on young parents and the need for more supports for this population.

Family First Prevention Services Act: Pregnant & Parenting Youth FAQs (PDF - 754 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2018)
Shares answers to a list of frequently asked questions regarding how implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act impacts pregnant and parenting youth, including how the law applies, eligibility of services, and changes in services that can be offered.

Health Coverage If You’re Pregnant, Plan to Get Pregnant, or Recently Gave Birth
HealthCare.gov
Offers information on health insurance for young parents and discusses health insurance options including the Marketplace, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Helping Teen Parents and Their Children Build Healthy Futures
HealthyChildren.org (2021)
Discusses difficulties often faced by adolescent parents and how to help young parents build successful futures for their children.

Improving the Well-Being of Young Parents
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2020)
Reviews two publications that explore challenges faced by young parents and shares recommendations for how child-serving systems, including child welfare, can improve the well-being of young families.

Lessons Learned: Working With Young Parents in Foster Care [Video]
University of Minnesota, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (2021)
Shares the experiences of young parents in foster care and explores how mentors can help support them and connect them and their children to resources.

National Parent Helpline
Offers a hotline to assist parents with emotional support, provide advice, and offer referrals to support services for parents.

Supporting Teen Mothers in Foster Care
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2019)
Provides information on supporting teen parents in foster care and reviews best approaches for congregate care as well as effective interventions and services.

Supporting Young Parents in Foster Care: Where Do We Go From Here? [Video]
Urban Institute (2021)
Describes the unique needs of young parents in foster care and shares opinions from child welfare professionals and youth about how child welfare systems can improve to better support parenting youth.

WIC PreScreening Tool: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Presents a tool that caseworkers and others working with young parents can use to assess whether they are eligible to receive Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits. Most young people may not be aware of this resource, so this is something an adult should help with. The tool takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Young Fathers
Offers tips and best practices recommendations for engaging with young fathers, understanding their challenges, and providing supports to this population.

(Back to Top)

Spotlight On

Episode 54: Supporting Parenting and Expectant Teens in Foster Care [Podcast]

Child Welfare Information Gateway (2020) 

Expectant and Parenting Young Families

Youth.gov

For Dads

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

InsureKidsNow.gov

Related Content

Types of Health Services

Engaging and Involving Youth

Supporting Expectant, Pregnant, and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Strategies for Reducing Inequity: Addressing Bias

Resources for Expectant, Pregnant, and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Children's Bureau - An office of the Administration for Children and Families

Child Welfare Information Gateway is a service of the

  • Children’s Bureau
  • Administration for Children and Families
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
↑ Back to top
  • HOME
  • TOPICS
    • Family-Centered Practice
    • Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
    • Supporting & Preserving Families
    • Out-of-Home Care
    • Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
    • Adoption
    • Management & Supervision
    • Systemwide
  • National Initiatives
    • National Adoption Month
    • National Child Abuse Prevention Month
    • National Foster Care Month
  • Publications
    • Publications Series
    • Browse by Title
    • Browse by Topic
    • Índice de Títulos en Español
  • Library
    • Search the Library
  • State Resources
    • State Statutes
    • National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
    • State Guides & Manuals
    • State Related Organizations Lists
    • Adoption Assistance by State
  • More Tools & Resources
    • Related Organizations
    • Learning Center
    • Children's Bureau Resources
    • Information Gateway Podcast
    • Multimedia
    • Family Engagement Inventory
  • NEWS AND EVENTS
    • New on Information Gateway
    • New From the Children's Bureau
    • Event Calendar
  • ABOUT US
    • How to Report Child Abuse or Neglect
    • Find Help With a Personal Situation
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Glossary
    • Search A to Z
  • Contact Us
    • 1-800-394-3366
    • info@childwelfare.gov
    • Subscribe to Free Updates
    • Chat With Us
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on YouTube
  • POLICIES & HELPFUL LINKS
    • Disclaimer and Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility
    • FOIA requests
    • No FEAR Act data
    • Office of the Inspector General
    • Performance reports
    • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
    • USA.gov
    • Download Acrobat Reader
  • ↑ Back to top