World Café Discussion: Levin Community Response
To Teen Parents
Question One – What don’t we know about how teen parents view this community?
· Who can they trust?
· Are they happy?
· Don’t want to be told what to do
· Do they understand what support is out in the community?
· That’s its ok to ask
· Do they know what kind of support is available in the community?
· Roles and responsibilities; do they know?
· Is the community them and us or all of us?
· That most adults don’t judge them
· You can go as far as you want to you, your choice
· Do they feel stuck that their lives are limited?
· Knowing how to prepare the foundation
· Postnatal services network and liaise more
· That its not your home town that limits your potential, its your imagination
· Do they feel like they are a part of the community as a whole?
· How to access support agencies
· What is the definition of community? How big?
· Do they feel like equal citizens in an adult world?
· Whether they think the community wants to help or not.
· Judged by community
· We don’t know how teen parents view this community
· Do they view appointments/ meetings as necessary in partnership with agencies?
· Voice
· Who trusts us?
· Do they know the services available and how to access?
· Am I supposed to just wait cos they said so?
· How well do they access the support services?
· May be intimidated
· Phone book advertise what is out there?
· How do teens know what to look for if they don’t know what is there?
· Do they feel let down by the community?
· Why would they view this community in any way?
· Do they view community in a positive or negative manner?
· Do they feel like there are opportunities?: No but only because we don’t know our options.
· Do they feel valued?
· Do they feel safe?
· Need to encourage teen parents to answer questions?
· Hub focus groups, coffee groups, age appropriate, peer supported
· What we do know: Labeled, judged, stereo typed, supported, not supported, isolated, scared, nothing out there for teens, no where to meet, friends not supportive, maybe able to access, education (with support)
Questions Two – What would teen parents identify as teen parent issues and how do we know?
· Processes needed to hear the voices
· No one to ask questions of
· Want to still feel like a teenager
· Every family has a mentor/ advocate
· Teen age parents, teen Mums, teen Dads, teen couples
· Employment especially Dads
· Peer pressure
· Feel judged
· Perception threat; involvement with central government
· Lack of knowledge
· Transport
· Focus on mothers
· GP Crisis plus after hours medical care
· Education
· Ask them
· Relationships
· Not knowing what is available
· Social perspectives
· Relationship beliefs
· Identity
· Culture differences
· Life skills; direction
· Changing friendship peer groups
· $$$$
· Personal experience
· Health issues; lack of health services and education
· When do teen parents stop being teen parents?; open to ideas
· Empowerment can be robbed of this; Mana / Mauri
· Confidence
· Sudden responsibility
· Judging
· Dad given a purpose by pregnancy; the best thing
· Change in priorities; social; career; life
· Media
· Lack of GP’s
· Experience
· Community support; where; what; how
· Accessing
· Not enough support for teen Dads
· Don’t forget the Daddies
Question Three – If we were to develop a perfect community response to teen parent needs, what wouldn’t be missing?
· $$$
· Baby sitting club; safe; child friendly; able to study
· Levin early years has a trained group
· Money is tight
· Initial response to teen pregnancy is possible congratulation, non-judgmental
· Supports/ counseling- coaching for Dads as well as mums
· Collated list of support
· Funding
· Dads teaching Dads mentoring young men
· Whanau support, supportive non-judgmental community
· Advised that talking is open and will not be judged
· 24 hour access to baby needs e.g. formula maybe at hospital, social pharmacy
· Toy library; home made toys
· Child care
· Extending interests
· TPU
· Self esteem building
· Parenting classes
· Educational opportunities
· Smiles, congratulations and encouragement
· Women’s health, sexual health centre 0800 808 602
· Resource info aimed at right group/ visual/ musical/ DVD
· Goal setting
· Adversity
· Clear definition of agency responsibility/ passing info/ support opportunity
· Asking what they want
· Whanau Ora
· Teen parent voices
· Child development courses for TP’s to develop understand why their child does what he or she does
· Encourage Abstinence
· Books
· On call cheep taxi like shuttle system/ fitted for kids and babies/ designed for parents
· Baby needs vending machine
· Communication funding system for parents under 21
· WINZ, GP’s 0800 number cell phone accept
· Space programme
· Play groups
· Mainly Music
· Home phone
· Internet access; computer skills; phone access
· Care seats in Taxis
· Facility teen parent unit
· Trust
· Faith our ability; empowerment
· Supporting families
Question Four- What do we lose/gain when we categorise people who are parents under 20 years old?
· Collective loss
· When do you stop identifying as a teen parent?
· Collective gain – in security, resources
· Stereo typing
· Deficit thinking
· New initiatives
· Awareness of risk will / should create better support
· Self esteem/ confidence
· Self belief
· Creativity
· Networks, better outcomes, support
· Age is just a number
· Listen / communication
· Lose clarity by categorising; all parents face the same issues.
· Connection
· Trust, potential, disempowerment, self worth, teen parent. Why not young parents?
· Becoming a parent changes parents so categorizing under 20 parents as teen parents we put them in another group where they don’t necessarily fit teen agers
· Gain identification of peers
· Positive role models for teen parents to come
· Support groups
· Gain
· Loose a generation gain a generation
· Easier to get help
· Networks
· Central government support
· Loose trust
· Loose the opportunity so see the energy strengths plus uniqueness
· Accessible and approachable
· Knowledge to play with children
Question Five – If we combined all our mission statements and adopted an inclusive Horowhenua community mission statement to respond to teen parents, what would it say?
· To reach out to our teen parents and support the growth of their babies through education back to basic parenting skills
· Mission statement needs to include both mother and father teen parent to produce opportunities
· The relationship needs to be a partnership working along side
· Education Horowhenua will support teen parents to achieve educational success for themselves and their families
· Personally satisfying lives for teen parent families
· To give children and their families the best start in life
· Mind map “Meeting developmental needs” formal education, personal development, Job skills, Baby development, parenting
· Inclusive, accessible, welcoming
· Positive outcomes for all
· TPU
· Be specific name both mothers and fathers in statment
· TP who believe they are worthy of having dreams / goals
· To enable teen parents to gain qualifications that result in sustainable employment and progressive learning
· Teen parents school
· Key words; partnership, empowerment, enable, we, sustainable, acceptance, non- judgmental, engaged as part of the community
· Empowerment
· Mana Whanau
· Respect
· Self determination
· Work shuttle for transport
· Need medical advise child care
· Support already informal coffee group, WINZ , EYH
· Not just education; whole person development
· TPs who have all the support they need to be exactly who they want to be to be and be parents and people
· Our vision mission statement to love as Christ loves us, specifically intentionally support and enable young parents and their families
· A diagram of a house . Foundations are community services. The floor is the mother. The walls are the whanau and the roof is the health services and social services (wrapping around) the child in the house.
· To develop care relationships with teenage parents and their whanau within, outside clinical settings to assist holistic healthy living
Question Six – What could we achieve together that we couldn’t do on our own and how do we do that?
· TEAM, together everyone achieves more
· Networking and contact lists
· Advocate
· Shared responsibility
· Doing it for them
· What do we do well
· Knowledge, key worker / coordinator
· Comprehensive services tailored to individual needs
· Networks
· Partnership, protection, participation
· Creativity
· Community, unity not them and us
· Attitude
· Linking with other networks
· Funding
· Collective voice
· Getting what we want and need
· Free friendly home safety check
· Knowledge and networks
· One voice common goals
· Strong community spirit and vision
· Voice
· Getting active, do something more than talk
· Support groups; great mental health
· Do we know how to work together with funding tension?
· Not the enemy
· Advertising
· Healthy families
· Better use of resources
· Making resources accessible
· Positive
· The HUB
· Relationship
· World view
· Systems and succession planning
· Support and reliance on each other and not one person
· Being culturally sensitive
· Knowing where to find resources; a one stop shop
· Sharing resource , expertise ideas and strength
· We need each other and everyone is necessary
Question Seven - What could a Horowhenua Teen Parenting Unit have to reflect the needs of teens parents in our region and how could the community support this? (Some crossover with question 5)
To enable teen parents to gain qualifications which result in sustainable employment and further progressive learning
To show teen parents they are equal valued members of society
Teen parents who have all the support they need to be exactly who they want to be as parents and people
Be careful about emphasis on education/qualification
Dealing with the emotional side of being a teen parent – counselling for teens both male and female to deal with the situation
Job search support – workshops to help to get work opportunities
More talking to dads and support for co-parenting
Male perspective can be neglected - can there be more support for teen dads?
Teen parents who believe they are worthy of having dreams/goals
To develop care relationships with teenage parents and their whanau within and outside of clinical settings to assist wholistic healthy living
Need free medical advice and childcare
Not just education. Whole person/whanua development
Support already: Informal Coffee group, WINZ and Levin Early Years Hub
Work shuttle 4 transport
Mana whenua, self-determination, respect
Empowerment
Teen parent school social supports
Lifeskills
Staircasing
Include teen parents in decision making
To have an adult to ensure there is no bullying etc and to enforce rules and is a welcoming environment
Understanding and passionate teachers
Coaches to teach independence
Dads coach dads
Mentoring
Correspondence mentors
Teach basics e.g. cooking dinners/baby meals
After work hour classes too for working parents
Teen parents need time out to talk to other adults
Provide good quality childcare
Buddy system
Visits from older teen parents
To get into a position where they can set goals
Adequate long-term funding
Suitable accommodation
Open, inviting, friendly, warm, teen-appropriate, based on their wants and needs
Non-judgemental
For the parents and children’s wider whanau
Provide different levels of education
Flexible
Technology available; up-to-date tools first class technology
First class standards for accommodation and education
Having a social component – what they think is social life within safe boundaries and ok for children
Having links to social, health, spiritual, cultural and other educational groups and agencies for the parents and children
Transport to (if needed)
Include voice of teen parents in development
Driver licence training
Life skills, budgeting in our curriculum
Catering for diversity
SPACE programme (Supporting Parents Alongside Children’s Education)
On site ECE licenced
Access for feeding, nurturing contact
Pepe classes
Antenatal teen friendly
Parenting skills
Tooolbox
Incredible Years
Under a heading of ‘Key Words’
Ko te whiri
Ko te whatu
Ko te whakairo
To intertwine and embrace the treasures, gift of life
Partnership
Empowerment
Enable
WE
Sustainable
Acceptance
Non-judgemental
Engaged as part of the community
Under heading of ‘Community Support’
Buy-in from everyone in community
Time commitment – patience – take time to listen
SuperGrans
Career pathways
Role models for mums and dads
Formal but not structured
Transport
Networking/ inter-agency, inter-church
Donations (food)
Social interaction at unit with non parents
Relationship building in the community
Parenting Skills
Budgeting service and financial information
Catering to Different learning styles
Drawing 1 - A whare with child and mum in the middle. The community services are the piles of the whare connecting it to the ground. The walls either side are the whanau surrounding the mother and child. The protecting roof is health services on one side and social services on the other.
Drawing 2 - Older parent talking to teen parent, face-to-face sharing, standing very closely together
Drawing 3 - In the centre a heart with the letters tpu in it. Arrows either way to parent and child one side and a home the other suggesting that a teen parent unit has connections to
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