Explores the perceived need and demand for a therapeutic community style model to support young women who become pregnant either while they are in out of home care, or upon their transition from care.

Executive Summary
Children and young people in out of home care (OHC) are widely considered to be some of the most vulnerable members of our community, with early experiences of trauma, instability and adversity associated with ongoing vulnerability into adulthood. The period when young people exit the care system (typically at 18 years of age or even younger) is a point of particular risk. In the absence of ongoing developmentally appropriate support, immediate outcomes too often include homelessness, unemployment, contact with the Criminal Justice System, poverty, drug and alcohol use, poor mental health, social disconnection, and, for young women in particular, early parenthood (Berzin, 2008; Courtney & Dworsky, 2006; Courtney, Hook & Lee, 2012; Hook & Courtney, 2011).

The Baby and Me project is an exploratory study whose aim is to better understand the incidence and experience of early pregnancy and parenthood for young women with current or recent experiences of the OHC system. From the perspective of practitioners, the project seeks to explore:

•  how the OHC and community support systems are currently addressing the needs of these young women and their babies
• the frequency with which young women in care are becoming pregnant
• the perceived need and demand for a specialised model of residential care for young pregnant women and young women with babies, in and leaving OHC. With respect to the development of a residential model of care, the project specifically seeks to investigate:

a) The main drivers for such a model

b) The factors to be considered in its design and implementation

c) How the key concepts underlying a residential model might be applied to general OHC practice.