Perceptions of young mothers
Andrew wrote a post earlier today about serious case reviews when children have been hurt or killed. He includes a fascinating comment on the difference between generalisations made by professionals and the facts. The speaker is a senior manager in charge of case reviews, interspersed with results from this survey of 40 cases printed in italics:
I have done four of these reviews and the same things keep coming up. It’s young mothers (9 of the 40 main carers were aged under 21 when the child was born) who are depressed (18 of the 40 had mental health problems) and simply cannot cope (for 16 children no concerns about their welfare had ever been expressed) with their babies (19 of the 40 children were aged less than 12 months) in poor living circumstances (in 23 cases there was no significant poverty or accommodation problems), especially when their situation is compounded by a violent partner (22 of the 31 current partners were known to be violent).
You just support these sluts who want to live on benefits. If they had any morals they would not have got pregnant. They are no better than whores.
It’s young mothers (9 of the 40 main carers were aged under 21 when the child was born)
25% of mothers under 21. That’s probably a little higher than the general population, but it’s not vastly different.
who are depressed (18 of the 40 had mental health problems)
Nearly 50% having mental health issues is rather larger than the general population. It is entirely unsurprising that mothers with mental health issues are over-represented in the set of mothers whose children are harmed.
and simply cannot cope (for 16 children no concerns about their welfare had ever been expressed)
So for 24 out of 40, concerns had been expressed. That’s a very big number.
with their babies (19 of the 40 children were aged less than 12 months)
So half are under 12 months, and many of the rest are probably young toddlers. “Babies” seems on the surface to be a reasonable generalisation.
in poor living circumstances (in 23 cases there was no significant poverty or accommodation problems),
So 40% did have significant poverty or accommodation problems.
especially when their situation is compounded by a violent partner (22 of the 31 current partners were known to be violent).
That’s more than 2/3. I’d call that a large fraction.
These are risk factors - they’re like medical symptoms. Almost nobody exhibits the complete set of symptoms of a particular illness, but if you show a few signs, it’s worth investigating further.
The point being made by the authors of the report is that the manager has had four cases and those are the issues that have made a strong impression on him or her.
They are cautioning against drawing the general rule out of the specific case, which seems wise to me.
I’m with Sam. 9 out of 40 says age isn’t a major factor - which would tie in with my experience.
i completely disregard the “slut” comment. That is so unbelievably rude. How many adolescent teens these days have sex? more then you think i can guarantee that. So instead of calling them sluts and making them feel bad about themselves why don’t you teach them, and support them. Calling them sluts and whores isn’t going to do anything but make it worse. Have some respect.
i hav to say tht if i didnt hav my son wen i was 17 i dont kno where i wood b today before i got pregnant alcohol played a big part in my life as did partyin and alot of other stuff …. wen i found out i was pregnant i was scared but i knew i wanted to change and this where it had to start. didnt touch a drop of alcohol in ova a year and now i hav a beautiful 2 year old son and he is my every thing to imgine my life with out him is impossible, i dont think i wood be here if it wasnt for him…. of course bein a solo teen mum is hard work and u jus take every day one day at a time but its worth every second of every day …. i dont kno if n e one will read this but please think about wat ur doin wen u r havin sex… if u do the deed then u hav to deal wit the consequences it is not the innocent childs inside you’s fault that u went out and had sex and got pregnant, i kno tht wat i am sayin may get alot shitt thrown at it but if u really think about it (unless u r raped and get pregnant) abortion is rong. think every year wen the time of your abortion comes youll think my about ur baby and wat it wood b doin at this age and every thing like tht. thanks for readin