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A national network for health & social care professionals, researchers and academics who want young parents and their families to have a fair start in life.

Believe in Us

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Giving young parent families a voice

There are an estimated 38,000 parents under the age of 25 in England and Wales. Research shows that they and their children have poorer outcomes and life chances than older parents. 

Believe in Us is a national network of charities, public services and researchers who want to improve the experiences of young parents and change the narrative around young parenthood. 

Taking its name from a poem written by young mums in Cornwall, the network wants more people to understand the challenges young parents face and for them to be better supported, and use its collective experience and expertise to shape young parent services. 

Our manifesto

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How we will deliver on our manifesto

So that...

every young parent believes in themselves

every young parent has the best possible mental and physical health

every young parent can be the parent they want to be

every baby born to a young parent gets an equitable, fulfilling chance at life

adversity is not experienced through the generations of young parent families

we all benefit from the talent, skills, and love they bring

everyone believes in young parent families

I am the girl you walk past, giving unapproving looks to, the girl who cares for her child while she's still a child too.

An extract from Believe in Us; a poetic exploration into the life of a young parent

Our impact

Explore below, the collective work we are doing to improve the experiences of young parents and change the narrative around young parenthood. 

Book: Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood

Authored by Believe in Us Network member and Director of the University of Bedfordshire Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange, Alison Hadley OBE.

This updated edition of Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood examines the research and practice in this vital field since the end of the UK Government’s highly successful Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) for England which contributed to reducing the under-18 pregnancy rate by well over 50%.

WILD is not alone in its belief that young parents and their families deserve better. Young parents are often stereotyped and scapegoated, but few people take the time to understand them. From day one they face inequality in all areas of their life, but we know from experience that when young parents are treated fairly and with dignity, wonderful things happen. But this is not only a moral case, it’s a societal and economic case because what people must come to realise is that investing in young parents is good for everyone, and has the potential to be transformational when it comes to giving children the best start in life.

Jo Davies, WILD CEO

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WILD is a registered charity no. 1097693

© 2024 WILD Young Parents Project

The Old Art School, Clinton Road,  

 Redruth, Cornwall 

 TR15 2QE

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