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Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Barriers to Service Delivery for Young Pregnant Women and Mothers (2007)

Prepared for the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS) by Deborah Loxton, Jenny Stewart Williams, and Lyn Adamson.

This report is the property of the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme

The report shows that the barriers to service delivery for young pregnant women and mothers fall into three main categories:


The report also finds that the above barriers occur in complex relationships with each other that can become self-perpetuating. The more barriers a young woman faces, and/or the more vulnerabilities that she experiences, the more difficult it is for her to access services, and the more difficult it will be for service providers to accommodate her needs.

The report concludes that best practice must include the elements that will lead to a strong positive relationship between a young woman and a service provider. A trusting relationship will overcome many of the barriers that may be faced by young pregnant women and mothers. For young women in vulnerable subgroups the most effective services are those that also take account of the complexity of these young women's lives at an individual level.

The report ends with seventeen recommendations for action by governments and service providers.