Programs supporting pregnant or parenting teens should meet the unique and complex needs of these families. Young parents are more likely to be low income and involved with multiple services in areas such as child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health. Building resilience and social connections among young parents is vital, and providing support services related to health care, self-sufficiency, and positive outcomes in education, finances, and parenting skills is crucial. The following resources present examples of how State and local programs are supporting young parents and their families.
Building a Safety Net for Teen Parents in Foster Care: California's Approach
Harkness, Abrams, & Eskin (2017)
Child Law Practice Today, May/June
Shares California's experience with teen parents in foster care and the strategies the State is using to better support them and their children. One approach entails creating whole-family foster homes for parenting youth in foster care.
Building Strong Families
UCAN
Offers information on the organization's programs, including those that support pregnant and parenting teens.
Children's Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC): Young Parents Program
Boston Children's Hospital
Describes a special clinic serving teen parents from low-income and at-risk environments. The clinic offers access to medical care, parenting education, housing and education support, and social programs to connect with peers.
For Young Parents
Sexual Health Initiatives for Teens North Carolina
Provides information for teenage parents on topics such as education rights, getting support, finding support groups, staying healthy, and avoiding another pregnancy.
Fostering Healthy Texas Lives: Strategies to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Foster Care and Support Teen Parents in Foster Care (PDF - 3,758 KB)
Texas Care for Children, & The Simmons Foundation (2018)
Addresses the ways that Texas can better support youth who become pregnant or who are parents while in foster care. By helping pregnant and parenting adolescents in out-of-home care, Texas can also give young parents the tools they need to prevent their children from entering the child welfare system.
Guide to Working With Young Parents in Out of Home Care (PDF - 4,485 KB)
New York City Administration for Children's Services (2018)
Provides information and guidance for working with expectant and parenting youth in out-of-home care and delivering trauma-informed care. The guide encourages a strengths-based approach to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of young parents and their children.
Right From the Start: Empowering Young Parents for Success [Video]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Population Affairs (2018)
Presents a video on the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF), which funds States and Tribes so they can provide a network of support services to expectant and parenting teens. The video highlights the PAF program in Missouri, which supports hard-to-reach young people, including homeless youth.
Whole Family Foster Homes
Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services
Describes a program that serves pregnant and parenting teens whose children are not dependents of the court by providing a whole-family foster home to keep the teen parent with their child and out of the foster care system.