Without a holistic, longer term service such as The Empowerment Challenge, younger mums may not have the ability to work towards positive changes and individual growth, and to break the cycle of disadvantage for themselves and their children. With the benefit of protective factors instilled in their lives, we hope that they can challenge themselves and be empowered to make positive change.
We acknowledge that the younger mum demographic is impacted by factors such as:
• A high percentage of young mums/dads have grown up in out-of-home care themselves and lack the safe, secure attachments, role models and experiences to promote parenting skills and loving relationships for their own families.
• A high percentage of younger mums have experienced trauma and adverse childhood experiences (*many of which are strong indicators for future health and wellbeing issues). Adverse childhood experiences (ACES) include abuse (physical, emotional, sexual); neglect (physical, emotional); family violence; intergenerational trauma, alcohol/substance abuse; household mental illness; separated & blended families; family members suicides/deaths.
• A high percentage of younger mums will experience mental health issues, financial stress, and social isolation.
• Children of parents with lower maternal age are identified to be more at risk specifically via biological (maternal health risk in pregnancy, infant health risk at birth and early life) and psychosocial risk (maternal stress, being born into socioeconomic disadvantaged neighbourhoods, violence, attachment issues.
• A resiliency effect was observed in women with a history of ACEs when they were buffered from experiencing high levels of social support.
(Sources: AIHW, 2017; Racine, Plamondon, Madigan, McDonald and Tough, 2018; Perry, 2002; Van der Kolk, 2012).
We took this information on board and decided to make The Empowerment Challenge fit the need:
Our Points of Difference:
• We will provide outreach supports to establish trust and relationships, which will allow us to build rapport and literally bring in those who will not walk in alone.
• Providing a safe place for the under-involved, and those with mental health issues or mistrusting of services, who would otherwise only be accessing services when in crisis. We want to break this loop and be there earlier to prevent crisis occurring.
• We will also be changing the way our service is accessed. Rather than doing it to get stuff or doing to/for people, we will encourage a partnership with shared agenda to promote skills, resources and participation (Moore,2014).
• Professional mental and physical health support will allow us to get to the core of the issues faced. Promoting awareness of the inner working models, our participants will be supported in flipping any negative, stuck patterns that can see them lost in the cycle of despair, addictions and other negative coping strategies. We do not want to be a band-aid service. We want to really help.
• Survival is a difficult place to exist. We want to take our participants from hardship to wellbeing, seeing the families we support thrive – not just survive. This will mean advocating to improve the resources around our participants (ie. housing, financial, legal, social, etc.) and helping them to overcome any adversities that may be preventing them from moving ahead, such as: family violence and substance abuse. We will work in partnership with other organisations as advocates for our participants.
• Participants in our service will not be exited when they miss their appointments and time-out of our supports (ie. 12 weeks/12 sessions). They will be supported in a longer-term capacity and have access to ongoing support if needed. Mentoring will promote role modelling and lasting effects. Building trusted relationships and connections to create a safe space for younger mums is our aim.
