More about the work we do with teenage mothers
Our first encounter with teenage mothers came many years ago, when a 12-year-old and her newborn baby were about to be separated. The baby was to be placed with us, and the young mother into another children's home. We said no, and we took them both in. For years after that, we supported teen mothers just like her.
Due to financial constraints, we can no longer offer residential support. But we continue to provide therapeutic and social support to teen mothers through our social worker, including individual and family counselling, life skills, attachment-based parenting guidance, and practical assistance such as clothing and baby items.
Teen mothers are among the most underserved populations in our social system, falling through the gap where they are too old for child services and too young for adult support.
Supporting a teen mother is never just one intervention. It is two lives redirected simultaneously. A mother who is held emotionally and practically can hold her baby. And a baby who is securely held grows into a child who trusts the world. That is how cycles of trauma are broken.
