A sub-committee of the wider YPNFA network in partnership with the Young Families Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Public Health, and the University of Toronto began to meet in mid 2016 to explore the pathways to care taken by young pregnant and parenting youth in Toronto.
We looked at current models of practice and research already available as well as consider how we can ensure that all young pregnant and parenting youth are able to access pre and postnatal services seamlessly and address barriers they may face in their attempts to do so.The YPNFA network along with SickKids, Toronto Public Health, and the University of Toronto are extremely grateful for the support and funding from the Women’s College Hospital: Women’s Xchange $15K Challenge allowing us to take on this research initiative.
Women’s Xchange is advancing a gender-sensitive approach to improve the health and quality of life for women and all Ontarians, by connecting researchers, students, community organizations, policy makers, clinicians and individuals interested in women’s health research.
The Infographic
The infographic below outlines the unique healthcare needs of adolescent-led families. It is a tool for clinicians interested in better understanding and empathizing with patients, as well as pregnant and parenting teens who may not feel comfortable communicating these needs. This resource was a joint effort between SickKids, Young Parents No Fixed Address (YPNFA), Toronto Public Health, and the University of Toronto.
A PATH TO SAFETY
This video was prepared by the Young Parents no Fixed Address (YPNFA) network and one of their subcommittees called PATHS (Providers Advocating Towards Housing Sustainability). The animation video was created to spread awareness of the experiences of those who are homeless during pregnancy and was debuted at a symposium held on June 8, 2023 (together with Kaitlin Schwan from the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network).
