Blossoming Beginnings

Group Portfolio
Kaladevi Ashokkumar
Lynn Jeanveau
Mariola Celuch
Business Communications
Instructor: Zorica Erkic
Date Submitted: October 18th, 2010

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SUMMARY

The teen pregnancy rate indicator estimates the number of pregnancies (resulting in live births, stillbirths, and therapeutic
abortions) per 1,000 females age 15 -19 years. Teen pregnancy poses increased health risks to both the mother and the child,
including the following:
 Pregnant teens have a greater risk of developing health problems such as anemia, hypertension, eclampsia and
depressive disorders.
 Children of teen mothers are more likely to have low birth weights, preterm births and, as a result, are more likely to
experience increased mortality and childhood morbidities including developmental problems, learning difficulties,
hearing and visual impairments, and chronic respiratory problems.

The rate of teen pregnancy is significant from a public health and determinants of health perspective because:
 Teen pregnancy is more common among disadvantaged teens.
 Pregnancy in the teen years can be a significant predictor of other social, educational and employment barriers in
later life.
 Children of teen mothers have higher rates of becoming teen parents themselves, thus perpetuating the cycle of teen
pregnancy.

Ontario’s public health units play a role in reducing the rate of teen pregnancy and promoting healthy pregnancies for those
teens who do become pregnant. Public health units provide a comprehensive range of sexual health education and counselling
services that aim to support young mothers to have positive health outcomes for themselves and their babies. Specific public
health initiatives include:
 healthy sexuality education and counseling
 the provision of low cost birth control supplies
 confidential and free sexual health clinic services
 building community partnerships with schools, hospitals, and community-based organizations to deliver healthy
sexuality and reproductive health programs and services

Public health units may face specific challenges with community receptivity to sexual health education and clinic services - it
is important to acknowledge that the acceptance of these services may vary across Ontario. In 2007, the pregnancy rate in
Ontario for women aged 15-19 was 25.7 per 1,000. Based on 36 public health units in Ontario, the highest rate was 60.8, and
the lowest rate was 9.5 per 1,000 women aged 15-19. Teen pregnancy rates have been on the decline in Canada in the last 25
years, with significant variation across provinces and territories. However, teen pregnancy has continued to be of significant
concern in specific populations including socio-economically disadvantaged teens.

INTRODUCTION
“We have it in our power to start the world over.” -Thomas Paine

Many service providers and organizations have a mandate to prevent subsequent teen pregnancies and if it happens, then
protect and help improve the life of the mother and the child. Subsequent teen pregnancies are defined as second, third or
additional pregnancies to a youth below the age of 20. A subsequent teen pregnancy may follow a pregnancy that ended in an
abortion, miscarriage or teen birth. We have made an attempt to bring about a remedy to the comprehensive overview of
teen pregnancy, poverty, homelessness, effects of teen parenting and of poverty on child development, effects of childhood
abuse and the societal and financial costs of “doing nothing”.

This report builds on the resources collected related to teen pregnancy and parenting teens and presents a critical look at the
issues specific to subsequent teen pregnancies and finding out a strategy to help them out and lead a normal life. Early
childbearing can have serious consequences for both the babies and their mothers. Infants born to teenagers are more apt to
experience adverse birth outcomes and die during their first year of life than are infants born to older women. As well, the
education and employment opportunities of the teens who have babies are often curtailed. Consequently, young mothers and
their children are likely to be economically disadvantaged. And those girls who have more than one baby while still in their
teens may face even greater challenges.
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Births to teens aged 15 to 19 are the focus of this report. There are data limitations on the availability of exact numbers of
teen pregnancy in Ontario. It should be noted that the Canadian rates of subsequent teen pregnancy do not include Ontario
data. When subsequent teen pregnancy rates were analyzed by Statistics Canada (2007), a decision was made to exclude
Ontario data due to its questionable statistical validity. With the introduction of birth registration fees in Ontario in 2000, the
number of birth registrations has been negatively affected. Researchers have speculated that teen mothers, who are
statistically more likely to experience economic challenges, may be unwilling or unable to pay the registration fee, and thus
births in this segment of the population may be significantly underreported (Rotermann, 2007).
DISCUSSION
A 1995 brief to the Minister of Community of Social Services by ONTCHILD noted typical characteristics of a teen mother
served by Young Parent Resource Centres (at that time still known as maternity homes). She is in her late teens, among the
poorest of the poor with an annual income 33% below the poverty line, many have a history with the children’s services
system and many have been in care, and many fathers are uninvolved .There is an increase in homelessness among single
mothers with children, who represent the most tragic aspect of the feminization of poverty in Canada. The extensive literature
review by Dilworth suggested that statistically, young mothers face a life of poverty, have lower levels of education and have
less opportunity in the workplace than non-parenting teens.
Issues
The outlook for teen mothers who have educational deficiencies, sporadic work histories and other barriers to employment is
not good. This population of young adults needs help in all areas of career preparation – academic and vocational education,
employability and life skills development – if they are to overcome the difficulties that hinder their successful transition to
adulthood. Given the educational, social, economic, and employment histories common among teenaged mothers, career
development is a priority for helping them make the transition from adolescence to economic independence. These young
mothers are also in special need of psychosocial development, life skills development, career awareness and job skills
development.
The fact that only a percentage of young parents receive the support available through services such as these Centres led to
the following dialogue between service providers in one of the focus groups:

“...but we’ve got this gap, and it’s quite a big gap, of teens that aren’t involved with anybody....They need everything, like
supports around budgeting, around life skills, around cooking. You know. Some of us grew up with learning to do that at
home. That doesn’t happen for the majority of girls that we see. So, to assume that they can cook for themselves or their
baby is a big assumption....”
There were 31,611 teenage pregnancies in Canada in 2004, with almost half resulting in live births. These births to teen girls
accounted for 4.2 per cent of total births. In 2004, Canada's birth rate among teens is 13.6 for every 1,000 teen women, far
below the birth rate of 41.1 in the U.S., but nearly seven times higher than the rate in Sweden, which has one of the lowest
teen birth rates of all developed countries. In Mississauga, we have just one emergency youth shelter for the age group of
16-21 for boys and girls and a few for abused women and children, but no transitional support for to-be teen mothers.

Design of the proposal

We need a transitional housing wherein services are offered to the pregnant and parenting teens to be independent and
financially secured in their life. Keeping these challenges in mind, we are planning to introduce the “Core” and “Other”
Services at our centre.

Housing - Short–term transitional housing will be located in the building at 55 City Centre drive, Mississauga, Ontario. The
building can comfortably shelter up to 40 people. The standard length of stay is a flexible 30–60 days before and after
pregnancy. Thus, BB can optimistically serve 480 people each year. A realistic figure is 340 people. A minimum number is
300 people. All living necessities are provided for guests at no charge. In house services include: three meals a day, toiletries,
clothing, laundry and basic living expenses as needed.

Mentoring is the promotion of a person's physical, mental, and emotional health. The basic goal here is to help get a person
re-adjusted and situated within their community. Each person will be guided by a social worker to identify personal needs and
satisfy personal healing and growth.

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Individual and group based parenting programs/child development includes parenting classes that teach teens about
infant health, child development, appropriate discipline, etc. that can be provided by partner agencies e.g., Public Health,
Early Years Centres on or off-site, ongoing one-to-one support and assistance in moving toward personal goals is often
provided by supportive housing staff on-site.

Comprehensive case management involves coordination of professional interventions, care plans, case reviews, and
referral to community resources; includes regular meetings with teen moms; facilitates positive involvement in the program
through individualized, goal oriented client contracts provided on-site by supportive housing staff.

Child care that includes after hours and respite; strong emphasis on child care that supports the development of the child
rather than offering only custodial care;

Combined education and job readiness training education is a strong predictor of the long term well-being of adolescent
parents and their children and key to better family planning, more stable family structures and increased chances of escaping
poverty; job readiness training is also strongly linked with positive outcomes; types of services may include opportunities to
complete high school, literacy programs, job counselling and placement, job specific training attached to an already existing
centre.

Advocacy/permanent housing search assistance -advocacy services include helping teens with legal issues e.g., landlord
and tenant, assistance with future planning re: permanent housing search including logistical help around finding permanent
housing is critical to maintaining housing stability, provided by supportive housing staff and/or community resources where
available e.g., Housing Help Centre, legal clinics

Life skills are important in developing and enhancing self-sufficiency, these services include, for example, budgeting,
nutrition, assertiveness training, conflict resolution, communication, relationship dynamics. It can be provided by supportive
housing staff and community partners on and/or off-site

Mental health support/counselling-Research indicates there is a growing need for therapeutic interventions to deal with
mental health issues (e.g.; depression, suicide ideation) that are typical consequences of some teen mother’s previous
experience e.g., sexual abuse, physical abuse, poor supports. These services are provided often by supportive housing staff
on-site; they include individual as well as group counselling/support and self-help.

Building support networks and linkages to the community involves encouraging and assisting clients to learn about and
access services and supports from community agencies, including library, schools, community centres, etc. - a component of
programing that is strongly associated with long term positive outcomes because of its role in facilitating integration in the
broader community which will be provided by supportive housing staff.

Other services which may be provided through supportive housing include drug and alcohol services which is generally
offered off-site through other agencies, transportation may be necessary to help teens meet their program goals, furniture
and clothing to assist clients with, for example, transition to permanent housing and job interviews, recreation e.g.,
including holiday celebrations and outings which promote healthy “family time” and coordinated by supportive housing staff,
“peer educator” or “peer mentor” programs will be based on evidence that adolescents relate well to people their own age
who have similar interests and backgrounds. They can also promote leadership skills and help build self-esteem and most
importantly outreach to fathers where there is a growing amount of research on the importance of father involvement and
various opinions on how best to make that happen.

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LIMITATIONS
Due to funding constraints and shortfalls, many programs cannot recruit staff with the higher qualifications necessary to
address the more serious mental health issues of some clients. In response, many programs contract the services of a
professional (e.g., psychiatrist, M.S.W.) to assist with assessment, development of individual care plans and to provide
consultation and support to supportive housing staff. Where necessary, clients are referred to community resources.
CONCLUSIONS
 Ours will be the pioneer centre for Mississauga which will be supporting the teen mothers before and after childbirth
for 3 months each and thereafter giving them mental support.
 This report brings together statistical trends, voices of teens, myths and assumptions, effective practices and program
examples to help service providers select, implement, adapt and improve teen pregnancy prevention initiatives.
 Teenage pregnancy has an enormous impact on adolescents, their families, and society. Health professionals and
social workers can have an influence in educating adolescents, providing them with appropriate services and free
contraception, developing new and original interventions, and sharing the responsibility for teenage sexuality with
other key players, such as parents, teachers, businesspeople, and community officials.
 Despite the fact that health professionals and social workers are interested in teenage pregnancy prevention programs,
government policies on family planning, perinatal care, and adolescent care are needed to support local action and
help reduce unplanned pregnancies and their consequences.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 There is no exact data available for Ontario regarding the Teen to-be mothers and the parenting teens as the
registration fee applies and the teens could not afford to pay them. Our recommendation is to remove the fee for
registering with the government.
 Getting support from the Ministry of Education for a smooth transition of these mothers into the system, so that they
complete their education and be able to support themselves.
 Since all the programs cannot be funded, we highly recommend that some programmes be connected to an already
existing programme from another centre.
 An elaborate funding proposal will follow to support the programme put forth.

APPENDIX

Figure 1.1

90
Teen Pregnancy, Canadian Provinces,1991
80
70
60
50 1985
40 1986
30 1987

20
10
0
PEI NS NB QC ON MN SK AB BC YK

Source: Data from Statistics Canada, Canadian Family Physician VOl. 37: Mla 1991

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Fig 1.2

Teen Pregnancy Statistics by Age Group

16000

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

under 15 yrs 15-19 yrs 15-17 yrs

Source: Selected pregnancy outcomes statistics, by age group and place of residence of females — Ontario, Table 1-7,
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-224-x/2005000/5802977-eng.pdf.

Fig 1.3

Percentage of Teen Pregnancies in Canada-Year Wise

49.2
47.6
45.6 Pregnancies
42.8 42.4
40.1
38
36.1
33.9
32.1

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Source: Adapted from Statistics Canada (2006b). Pregnancy Outcomes – 2003. Catalogue no. 82-224-XIE, p. 10.

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Fig 1.4

Teen Pregnanacy Rate by Medical Regions,Ontario

Toronto 27.4

Hamilton 34.4

Waterloo 30.8

York 12.1

Peel 12.8

Halton 9.5

Durham 24.9
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Teen Pregnanacy Rate

Source: Provincial Health Planning database, MOHLTC (2007)

REFERENCES
1. Michelle Rotermann (2007). Retrieved on October 12, 2010 from www.statcanada.gc.ca/ pub/9252-eng.pdf
2. May Loung (2008). Retrieved on October 12, 2010, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001x/2008105/pdf/10577-
eng.pdf.
3. Citation: Best Start Resource Centre. (2009).Subsequent Teen Pregnancies: Exploring the Issues, Impact and
Effectiveness of Prevention Strategies. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Statistics of Pregnancy (15-17 yrs of age.),
Canadian Pro Statistics of Pregnancy (15-17 yrs of age.), Canadian Pro Retrieved on October 12, 2010, from
www.beststart.org/resources/.../subsequent_teen_preg.pdf.
4. National working group on women and housing (2009). Retrieved from Statistics of Pregnancy (15-17 yrs of age.),
Canadian Pro intraspec.ca/WomenPovertyAndHomelessnessInCanada.pdf.
5. Anna Allevato and Jody Orr (2003). Retrieved from www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/Reports/.../Needs Assessment-
SupportiveHousingForParentingTeensReport.pdf Needs assessment: supportive housing for parenting teens –Report.
6. Evaluation Designs Ltd., Fredericton, N. B. (February Statistics of Pregnancy (15-17 yrs of age.), Canadian Pro,
2006). Retrieved from tamarackcommunity.ca/downloads/vc/SJ_Literature_Review.pdf - Poverty, Homelessness and
Teenage Pregnancy.
7. Initial report on public health (2009). Retrieved on October 12, 2010 , Statistics of Pregnancy (15-17 yrs of age.),
Canadian Pro from http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/pubhealth/init_report/tp.html
8. Edith Guilbert, MD , Gillefs Forget, MSc ( 1987), Canadian Family PhysicianVOL 37: Mla 1991, Retrieved on
October 12, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2145345/pdf/canfamphys00135-0110.pdf