Pregnant and Parenting Youth Tools to Support Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care

Welcome Today we will cover:  Utilizing the Pregnant and Parenting Teen Guidebook and tip sheets  Shared Planning Meeting Requirements  Identifying and referring for needed services  Health & Safety Visit Requirements  Documenting in FamLink

Competencies Competencies for Case Workers: SW Understands service needs of sexually active youth, pregnant and parenting teens, including the need for birth control and dating violence prevention and education SW Ability to provide or identify and refer for children and youth individualized supportive and treatment services as needs emerge SW Ability to work with parents to help them use information and skills, and resources, developed from service provision to strengthen their ability to provide safe care to their children SW Ability to use the Shared Planning process to promote collaboration, shared-decision making, and discuss progress and/or barriers to successful outcomes

Competencies Competencies for Supervisors: SUP Ability to model, coach, and monitor staff in developing and implementing accurate and timely case plans for families and relevance of services SUP Ability to model, coach, and monitor staff in developing and implementing case plans for families that promote accurate objectives and culturally responsive services/resources to address child safety and families’ needs SUP Ability to support worker’s involvement in advocating for children and families in other service systems SUP Ability to monitor children’s education status and guide staff in utilizing resources and tools to develop educational plans

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

Initial thoughts about the video we just watched? Have you ever had a parenting father on your caseload? Examples of how Social Workers and Caregivers can support pregnant and parenting youth in care. Discussion:

You’ll walk away with: Understanding of the rights, duties and responsibilities of youth, caregivers and Social workers A toolkit with resources and job aids Knowing when you should conduct Shared Planning Meetings Ideas about appropriate services Understanding of what is required in practice and documentation

Tools to Support Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care

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

Shared Planning Meetings: supporting youth to engage in services and make connections It’s important for youth to engage in services:  Medical  Educational  Parenting  Social/Emotional  Mental Health  Chemical Dependency

Shared Planning Meetings: supporting youth to engage in services and make connections Comprehensive Continuum of Services supporting meaningful connections:  Gender & Culturally Responsive  Trauma Informed  Strengths-based Pai-Espinosa, J. Y. (2010). Young mothers at the margin, why pregnant teens need support. Children's VOICE, Retrieved from

Shared Planning Meetings: supporting youth to engage in services and make connections Preparing youth for the stress of parenthood:  Early & Periodic assessment of parenting beliefs, skills & interactions  Comprehensive services to address; parenting skills, expectations of child development & their own adolescent development Budd, K. S., Holdsworth, M. J., & HogenBruen, K. D. (2006). Antecedents an concomitants of parenting stress in adolescent mothers in foster care. Child Abuse & Neglect, 30, doi: /j.chiabu

Shared Planning Meetings: supporting youth to engage in services and make connections Build positive connections with:  Peers  Mentors Develop:  Healthy Relationships  Natural Supports Increase:  Resiliency & capacity to overcome adversity

Who to invite? Work in table groups Based on the scenario, who would you invite to Aimee’s SPM?

Who to invite? Report Back

Accessing Services ILP 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…..

Connections Health Care Education Social 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),

Health & Safety Visits Important Policy – Practices and Procedures Manual 4420 Health and Safety Visits ( benefits/4420health-and-safety-visits-children-and-monthly-visits-caregivers-and-parents) benefits/4420health-and-safety-visits-children-and-monthly-visits-caregivers-and-parents Pregnant and Parenting Youth ( petition-terminate-parental-rights/43066-pregnant-and-parenting-youth) petition-terminate-parental-rights/43066-pregnant-and-parenting-youth 1135 Infant Safety Education and Intervention (

Pregnant Youth Discuss/Assess/Document:  Pregnancy services  Referrals to community resources  The needs of the unborn child after the 28 th week of pregnancy  Placement options  Education and ILP needs  Fatherhood Engagement

Parenting Youth Discuss/Assess/Document:  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

Infant Safety Discuss/Assess/Document:  Newborn: Plan of Safe Care  0-6 months: Period of Purple Crying  0-12 months: Infant Safe Sleep

Caregivers Supplemental rate Parenting the Youth while coaching the youth to parent Supports and Services available for the Caregiver Caregiver Tip Sheet Potential for conflict

Mitigating Conflict between parenting youth and their caregivers Work in table groups Based on the scenario, how would you mitigate conflict between Aimee and her aunt?

Mitigating Conflict between parenting youth and their caregivers Report Back

Safety & Permanency

 Most common concern for safe parenting is unrealistic expectations of child development  Assessment of the youth’s ability to safely parent is crucial! 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  Teen parents are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system  The children of teen parents are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system

Safety & Permanency  Physical safety of the child’s environment  Parental stress and stress responses  The Youth’s understanding of appropriate developmental expectations  Parent-child interactions, including the Youth’s ability to interpret and respond to the infant’s cues  The caregiver’s impression of the Youth’s ability to safely parent

Safety & Permanency Helping Youth Build a Community Community is a big piece of permanency for youth The permanent plan might look different now

Safety & Permanency TTransparency in addressing safety concerns TTaking protective action and Safety Planning FFTDM’s and Case Planning DDependency Actions

FAMLINK Health/Mental Health Record: All Medical Care

FAMLINK Person Management Page: teen parent selection

FAMLINK Foster Care Rate: basic foster care with non- dependent child

Reminders/Q&A All efforts should be made to keep the child(ren) and teen parent together Only file a petition when all efforts to keep the child(ren) and family safe have been exhausted Ask males on your caseload if they are fathers Link pregnant and/or parenting teens to the different community resources Teen parents are balancing adolescence with parenthood Teen parents will sometimes struggle with rules and roles within the placement Document, document and document!

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