[Sub ID 4273] Brave Pathway Plan Pilot for Expecting and Parenting Teens (Brave Foundation)

Submission ID: 4273
Organisation name: Brave Foundation
Contact name: Ms Bernadette Black
State: TAS
Contact email: bernie@bravefoundation.org.au

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young carers, Young parents

What need or issue are you trying to address?
As identified by Deloitte Access Economics 2016 (A practical guide to understanding social costs: Developing the evidence base for informed social impact investment), there is a prioritised need for a solution to assist expecting and parenting teens (E&PTs) in Australia. In 2012, 11,373 teens gave birth and, as a group, demonstrated higher propensity to risks of complicated pregnancies, low birth weight babies, premature births, postnatal depression, generational teen pregnancies and domestic violence. In addition, 80% of teenage parents aged between 15 to 24 are receiving some form of income support seven years later. They have an expected lifetime cost to welfare of approximately $540,000 each, and a likelihood of becoming long-term welfare recipients.
The issue of teen parenthood is not just restricted to young women, as teen fathers and children of teen parents are considered to be ‘at risk’ for the social and educational impacts of teen pregnancy, creating intergenerational disadvantage. Evidence suggests that 23.6% of Expecting and Parenting Teens (E&PTs) did not complete year 10 (this excludes those that have already left before pregnancy) and only 2.3% of that group had completed tertiary education by the age of 30.

What is your idea?
The Brave Pathway Plan Pilot for Expecting and Parenting Teens is an interactive tool created to ensure those affected are connected to parenting support, life support and educational opportunities in their local communities. The Brave Pathway Plan has been developed through the research delivered from the Brave Expecting and Parenting Teen Support and Education Working Group that recommended the need for a structured plan that sets objectives to assist E&PTs to achieve their goals.
The Brave Pathway Plan sets clear objectives to:
• create a best practice, evidence based project to retain the E&PTs in education whilst utilising existing community services,
• develop support and education pathway plans specific to E&PTs,
• identify recommendations for the education/community sector that retain the E&PTs in education over time,
• investigate methods that will aid in changing culture in our secondary schools and communities to one of inclusion for the E&PT,
• source commitment to trial these findings in key locations of high incidence of teen pregnancy in Australia with a modest sized cohort group for optimum measurement. Development of individual and tailored pathway plans and the delivery by Brave support staff coordinates existing local services and opportunities for each client throughout the pathway.