Becoming a parent
When you hear the news that you are going to be a parent, there will be lots of things to think about and lots of things to plan for, but there will be time to get ready and your Personal Advisor can help you start to think about what you will need and what will have to change as you think about a future with a child.
To start this, your personal advisor will work with you to review your pathway plan. Part of this may be encouraging you to think about where you are living, what things you might need for your home and how you will manage financially.
We will also talk to you about who is in your life and who can support you, this may be family, partners and/or friends. We will also think about those professionals who you know, are part of your life and who you would want to be part of your future. This might be professionals who can help you learn about being a parent.
Lots of care-experienced young people are frightened that their baby will be removed from their care, because they have been in care themselves. This is not true.
Just because you have been in care, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be a good parent to your own child.
If your Personal Advisor does have any worries about your baby’s safety, they will always talk to you about this and will help you plan for how we can help you and your baby be safe. If it is felt that you need help from Social Care to increase that safety, your Personal Advisor may make a referral.
Your Personal Advisor will always talk to you about this first and will support you with any meetings you need to have with Social Carer people who can help you stay in college or work as well as being a parent.
Helping you learn to become a parent
This can include activities at the Journey (see the Journey programme for more information).
We can also help you find activities and groups that are local to you that you can access to help you as a parent. We can do this by talking to Early Help. We can also visit venues and groups with you to help you see what happens and what they are like.
The Health Service makes sure you get more intense support as a new parent. The Young Parent Team, part of the Rotherham Children’s Public Health Nursing Service, can support you. Parenting during your teenage years can bring its own challenges, so they offer a programme of regular visits for young parents. This means young parents get the help they need to do the best for their baby at a time in their lives when they may also need support as young adults.
The programme is delivered by a Young Parents’ Nurse through visits to your home or they may invite you to a clinic. The Young Parent Nurse would visit at key milestones throughout your child’s development for example Antenatal Visit, New Birth Visit, 6-8 Week visit, 3-4 month visit, 6 month contact, 9-12 month assessment and 2 year assessment. If you are aged 19 or under and are pregnant with your first baby, you will be referred to this service by your midwife or health visitor who will discuss with you whether you would benefit from the programme.
The programme starts in pregnancy and lasts until your child is 2 years old. The programme covers topics such as health, child development, relationships, emotional wellbeing and everyday health support as a new parent. You will have the opportunity to get to know your Young Parents’ Nurse which means you will feel more able to ask questions and get the help you need which may involve seeking support and information from other specialised services.
You can be referred to this service after your booking appointment with your midwife. Their contact details are:
Telephone: 01709 423333. The central helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)
Managing financially when you are a parent
We will support you make a claim for the right benefits when you are 24 weeks pregnant.
We will also make sure you apply for your maternity grant from the DWP.
We will also be able to provide some financial help in the last 3 months of the pregnancy to help you get ready for your child arriving.
Where am I going to live when I'm a parent?
If you already have your own property, we will help you make this ready for your baby.
We will help you make sure you have all the equipment you need to care for your baby and will help you make use of the support available to help you learn to become a parent.
If you need some extra help, there is the option of a project called Fleming Gardens. This offers a purpose-built supportive environment for young parents to learn how to become parents. The project is made up of 10 2 bed properties that are offered fully furnished. The project staff offer support and advice to young parents aged 16 – 25 years of age. When their parents appear more confident, they also support young people moving on into their own accommodation.
