An article examined teenage pregnancy and parenting policies in the United Kingdom. Drawing on a study with pregnant young women and mothers in an alternative educational setting, it said that the mothers and staff there held complex attitudes towards government strategy, parenting interventions, and ideas about 'good' motherhood. The article argued that parenting education should have regard to structural inequalities and difficulties, rather than focusing solely on behaviour change.
Source: Naomi Rudoe, 'Becoming a young mother: teenage pregnancy and parenting policy', Critical Social Policy, Volume 34 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the effectiveness of parenting interventions for male young offenders who were fathers, drawing on a systematic search of the literature.
Source: Katie Buston, Alison Parkes, Hilary Thomson, Danny Wight, and Candida Fenton, 'Parenting interventions for male young offenders: a review of the evidence on what works', Journal of Adolescence, Volume 35 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the stigma attached to teenage pregnancy and parenting. It said that negative stereotypes persisted and that young mothers reported experiences of stigma and discrimination. Drawing on the work of Erving Goffman, the article discussed the ways in which young mothers monitored the 'presentation of self' in order to deflect judgment and blame, and considered the implications for policy.
Source: Kyla Ellis-Sloan, 'Teenage mothers, stigma and their "presentations of self"', Sociological Research Online, Volume 19 Issue 1
Links: Article
Date: 2014-Mar
A report examined the existing state of knowledge about what constituted 'good' parent-and-child fostering (the placement of both parent and child together in a foster setting), based on a review of the literature from the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The report said that some of the characteristics of a good placement were the same as those for fostering any young person, such as good relationships, clear 'house rules', and involving young people in decisions about their placement. Other factors were more specific to parent-and-child provision, such as feeling stigmatized, or feeling abandoned when leaving the placement. The report said that the outcomes of placements were very mixed and likely to reflect the small numbers in the reviewed studies, the differences in the placements, the characteristics of the population, the purposes of the scheme, and the services offered to parents. The report made recommendations for policy and practice, as well as future research.
Source: Nikki Luke and Judy Sebba, Effective Parent-and-Child Fostering: An international literature review, Rees Centre, University of Oxford
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Mar