Home-Start Cambridgeshire are delighted to announce the award of a grant from The Pixel Fund of £5,684, in support of our Young Parents Project.
Our vision is to give children in Cambridgeshire the best possible start in life, and so we support families with young children who are going through difficult times. Our support is there for families facing challenges such as parental overwhelm, mental ill health, poverty, isolation, multiple births, disabilities, and traumas like domestic abuse or traumatic births. Younger parents face many additional challenges like disruption to education and career prospects, impact on the typical social life of a young person, social stigma and financial burden.
Evidence is all around us that being a young parent is incredibly challenging. Studies show that women who become teenage mothers are 22% more likely to be living in poverty at age 30 than their peers. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance state, “Young mothers aged 25 and under have been identified as being at particularly high risk of experiencing mental illness in the perinatal period” and the MBRRACE report has also highlighted an increase in teenage maternal suicide in recent years. The Mental Health Foundation report that young fathers are significantly more likely to experience depression compared to older fathers; and fathers aged 23 and younger were twice as likely to be unemployed at age 30, compared to men who became fathers over the age of 23. It is commonly understood that poor parental mental health can have a detrimental effect on the health and development of children, which can lead to an increased risk of mental health problems for the children themselves.
So, with financial assistance from The Pixel Fund, our Young Parents Project will place support around young parents, signposting them to additional specialist services, where appropriate. We will provide young parent families with a tailored plan of support, being there for them regularly for up to six months to empower them with the skills, confidence, and emotional resilience to manage the demands of parenting. Our support will enable young parents to nurture their children to flourish, whilst also protecting their own health and wellbeing - genuinely changing life outcomes for families.
Huge thanks to The Pixel Fund for supporting our work in Cambridgeshire.