(L-R) Sally McLaren (Group Leader, HCC), Hayley McLay (Group Facilitator, TYPP), Amanda Rishworth MP, Nat Cook MP, Maria Palumbo (CEO), Danielle Hynes-Stevens (Peer Mentor, TYPP) and Maddie (Group Participant, TYPP)

A successful mentor program supporting young parents in Adelaide’s south will see families thrive into the future following a $1.43 million Government funding boost over the next 3 years.

The Young Parent Project (TYPP), driven by leading social enterprise Junction, in collaboration with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation, works with parents under 25, many who have experienced significant trauma.

The Honourable Amanda Rishworth MP, Federal Minister for Social Services, and the Honourable Nat Cook MP, State Minister for Human Services, announced funding for the initiative through the Commonwealth Outcomes Fund yesterday.

The Young Parent Project is one of the first South Australian projects to benefit from the $100 million Fund – a Federal and State Government investment partnership designed to address disadvantage through innovation.

Junction CEO Maria Palumbo said TYPP had supported more than 40 parents since it started 18 months ago with seed funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

“It’s about working with young families so they can grow strong from the start,” Ms Palumbo said. “It helps young mums develop skills and make positive connections with other people and services so they can be the best parents they can be.”

The 16-week program involves ‘peers’ who had similar experiences as young parents supporting participants with children up to the age of five, including expectant parents. It also offers participants access to other key services and organisations including education, legal, employment and housing.

Early program evaluation shows a reduction in risk factors leading to child protection intervention, an increase in protective factors like resilience, and improved parental confidence and competence. Participants also reported higher satisfaction with personal relationships and greater feelings of future security.

Ms Palumbo said co-design, and enabling participants to support each other through their own lived experiences, were key to the program’s impact.

“From the outset, we’ve had participants and peers working with us to design the program so it is genuinely tailored to them,” she said.

Ms Palumbo said topics covered ranged from mental health and first aid as well as support with feeding, sleeping and settling.

“As any parent will attest, confidence is so important in your ability and capacity to care for your baby. First and foremost, people taking part in this program needed to feel they are in a safe environment, which is what we have created.”

Peer Mentor Danielle Hynes-Stevens said it was a privilege to harness her skills as well as lived experience to support young parents.

“I was pregnant at 16 and had my daughter at 17 and then had my son 22 months later at 19,” she said. “I was 23 and 25 when I had my other children,” Ms Hynes-Stevens said.

“As a young mum, I would have really benefitted from a peer mentor and a program like this. Even though everyone’s situation is different, having someone who can walk along-side you, who has been through similar times and feelings can make a huge difference. Even though my kids are thriving now, it was challenging. It has been a long journey.”

TYPP is supported by The Australian Centre for Social Innovation and the University of Adelaide’s Better Start Health and Development Research program.

Established in 1979, Junction supports around 10,000 South Australians each year through housing and community services.

Media Contact: For more information contact Bonnie Trinh on 0481 520 730.