Workforce Development:
  Working With Young Parents

Training Programme

Programme Aims

• To equip participants with the knowledge and skills in order to develop and deliver innovative and tailored services for young parents (including young fathers) and their children.
• To provide participants with a basic understanding of normal baby and child developmental attachment theories in order to promote positive parenting messages and realistic expectations of parenthood.
• To effectively assess the needs of young parents and develop individual care plans maximising the use of local support services and networks (including family and peer support).

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the training participants will be able to:

1. Understand the national and local context of teenage pregnancy and parenthood including relevant data

2. Communicate effectively and sensitively on matters concerning young parents recognising own belief system and how this may affect the quality of communication

3. Demonstrate an awareness of the main theoretical principles pertaining to normal baby and child developmental attachment theories

4. Analyse critically the internal and external influences which contribute to the complexities of teenage parenthood

5. Explore and implement innovative ways of engaging with young parents promoting positive reinforcement and avoiding negative spiral of teenage parenthood

6. Discuss and consider themes of engagement and service development with young fathers

7. Discuss and examine the effectiveness of services in meeting the needs of young parents, for example, support networks such as working with grandmothers, sharing best practice, highlighting areas for improvement and plan ways forward including Care to Learn, Parentline Plus

Indicative Course Content Including Learning and Teaching Strategies

The training will take the Teenage Parents Next Steps: Guidance to Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts (Department of Health/Department of Children, Schools and Families 2007). Reference will also be made to Department of Health and Department Children, Schools and Families (2009) Healthy Child Programme: Pregnancy and the first five years of life and Healthy Child Programme: From five to nineteen years old.

Debate and guided discussion will challenge personal attitudes towards young parenthood as well as the application of relevant theoretical principles and constructs. The training programme will explicitly link with the intended learning outcomes detailed above. All presentations and group exercises will be included within the delegate packs and will aim to inspire ideas for delegates own professional practice leading to development of creative and innovative practice when working with young parents and their children.