It is no secret that Britain has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in Europe. One part of the Government's strategy is to lower this, but there is also a commitment to increasing the proportion of teenage parents in education and work. This is seen to be essential in order to reduce their risk of long-term social exclusion. To this end, the National Childminding Association (NCMA) is piloting a three-year 3m Government and European Social Fund project to provide free, high-quality childcare for teenage parents.
NCMA chief executive Gill Haynes describes the Teen Parent project as 'evidence-based and action-researched': the NCMA put together its proposal after studying research carried out by the Social Exclusion Unit which shows that pregnancy among 16-to 18-year-olds is the single largest predictor of unemployment.
Four pilots
The project is being piloted in four areas across the country chosen because of the combination of high teenage pregnancy and low involvement in education: north-east Lincolnshire, Blackpool, Greenwich and Barking and Dagenham in London.
Ms Haynes says, 'The project is showing its worth from the very early days.
There are a substantial number of referrals. It really is about taking that window of opportunity and using it. People feel trapped because they don't have flexible and affordable childcare available. Research shows that if young people are out of the loop they find it difficult to get back in.'
The project provides a practical solution by offering free childcare to any teen parent, who is 19 or under, as long as they are in training, education or work. Teen parents have to show a genuine commitment to undertake this and their attendance is monitored. There is no limit to the amount of hours of childcare the parent receives and provision is flexible to adapt for long-term and short-term needs, with some childminders offering support in the evening as well as during normal working hours. Because all of the childminders are part of a network the system can also provide for back-up in emergencies.
All the childminders involved in the project are registered, assessed by the NCMA and recruited into childminding networks, which are quality assured under NCMA's Children Come First scheme. The scheme is based on rigorous criteria drawn up by the NCMA, DfES and Ofsted. The childminders have the benefit of regular support meetings with their area co-ordinator and other childminders.
It is seen as important that the teen parent is given a choice of childminder, so that they have just as much input as any parent in the decision-making process about the care of their child. Project co-ordinators in each of the four areas look at the transport situation and the proximity of colleges or work placements to the teenage parent's home and will suggest childminders for them to meet.
As Lynne Taylor, the national project manager explains, 'Part of the work of the co-ordinator is offering teen parents a choice, building up their confidence, so that they can take the next step.
'For a lot of young people their pregnancy has been a very negative experience. They also have to get used to leaving their child and like any mother they may have concerns about that. This is all about empowering them and helping them to enjoy life as a mother. Their main obstacle is childcare and the expense of childcare.'
In practice
Although the project was given the go-ahead last year it is only now that its work is beginning to be seen in practice. The overall UK target is to make 100 placements with childminders and Ms Taylor says 27 are in place.
Julie Hill has been working as a childminder for five years and became involved in the Barking and Dagenham pilot project last September. She looks after six-month-old Taylor Daniel, three days a week so that his mother Jade, aged 16, can attend college during the day. She says, 'It felt like I was supporting someone who really needed encouragement to go back to college. Being an older mum, I can pass on ideas as to how I brought up my children. It feels important. There's always a bit of a stigma with childminding, you know, but this feels important. I feel really valued, like I'm helping someone who really needs it. It's more of a mother-daughter relationship too. Jade can talk to me about anything she's worried about.'
Jade has nothing but praise for the project. She says, 'When I was pregnant I didn't want to go to school.' Her head of year had heard about the project and contacted NCMA. Taylor was born two weeks before Jade's GCSEs were due to start and she admits she had to be encouraged to take her exams, but now she is really pleased she did. 'It took a while for me to come round to going back to college, but I'm really glad that I am.' She says she feels she can talk to Julie about her worries, for example about Taylor's teething. 'Because she's got her own children she gives me tips.'
Jade, who lives with her mother in Dagenham, is studying administration at Havering College. When her course finishes in July she hopes to go on to study business and accounting.
Margaret Nye, the childminding network manager for London, says there are currently 14 placements in London and the target is 25. There is also one teenage married couple in Barking and Dagenham who are due to be placed.
Ms Haynes has described the project as a 'win-win' situation for both the childminder and the teen parents. The parents receive free childcare when they need it and, in addition, the project provides support and career development for childminders up to NVQ Level 3. Childminders also receive direct payments from the NCMA. 'We know from research that 70 per cent of childminders who complete Level 3 stay in the sector,' she says. 'And if they do choose to move into other sectors their career opportunities are increased.'
Victoria Austin is the project co-ordinator for north-east Lincolnshire. In her area there have been 16 placements since June and there is also one teen father involved in the project. 'September saw an increase in training and education at the start of the academic year. We have also had one teen parent who has gone from a training placement into a work placement, which is very encouraging.' Ms Austin says there has been a lot of interest from childminders who wish to get involved. 'Some may have either been teen parents themselves or had some other experience in the past with teenage pregnancy, maybe with friends or relatives.' She says that when recruiting childminders on to the scheme, a positive attitude to the situation is just as vital as knowledge and experience.
Multi-agency working
Teen parents hear about the project from a variety of sources and the importance of multi-agency working is seen as one of the keys to success.
Connexions, the Government's new support service for all young people aged 13 to 19 in England, social services, health visitors, midwives, job centres and training establishments have all been able to make referrals.
In Blackpool, network manager Beryl Southworth says that midwives run sessions in the same building as the project and are therefore able to pass referrals on. They also work with the Connexions service and other agencies. She says, 'Multi-agency working is highly successful. Particular issues can be picked up by us or by another service.' Ms Taylor also comments on the number of self-referrals. 'This is a good sign of teen parents networking among themselves.'
In some cases teen parents are faced with the barrier of lack of support from their own family, but this is not always the case. Ms Southworth says, 'One grandma rang up to discuss support and in another instance one teen parent's mother went along with her to meet the childminder.'
All four pilot projects are funded until December 2003 and the NCMA is hopeful that it will continue. Government figures from June 2002 stated that the proportion of teenage mothers aged 16 to 19 who are in education, training or work has increased from 17 per cent in 1997 to 29 per cent in 2001. Projects like this run by the NCMA can surely take some of the credit for this downward trend.
Certainly young parents like Jade are in no doubt as to the considerable benefits. She says, 'I'm really grateful and I know my baby's in safe hands.'
Fact file
* 56,000 babies are born to teenage mothers in the UK each year; 8,000 to girls under 16 and 2,200 to girls under 14.
* Britain's teenage pregnancy rate is double that of Germany, three times that of France and six times that of the Netherlands.
* The Family Policy Studies Centre says that by the age of 33, teenage mothers are four times as likely to be living in social housing and three times more likely to lack qualifications, than mothers who give birth for the first time in their 20s.