Jenny: Safe Start for Motherhood

Jenny* was 19 when she came to Hope Street’s First Response Youth Service Refuge in Whittlesea in September 2025, with a newborn baby and a long road behind her. A First Nations young woman, she had spent much of her life in Child Protection and DFFH residential care and had faced significant challenges with alcohol and other drugs, mental health, trauma, and family violence. Intergenerational trauma had shaped her journey, and pregnancy had brought further instability. 

Hope Street’s refuge includes a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family unit, where Jenny and her baby stayed for several weeks. During this time, she received intensive support from specialist case managers and youth residential support workers who recognised both the challenges she had faced and the strengths she possessed. Through a trauma-informed and culturally safe approach, staff worked alongside Jenny to build on her resilience, support her goals, and help create a pathway towards a safer and more stable future for herself and her child. 

Hope Street case managers observed that while Jenny was deeply committed to her baby, she needed support to build her parenting confidence. Hope Street coordinated a care team bringing together both mainstream services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), who met regularly to ensure Jenny and her baby received holistic, culturally appropriate support. The priority was to create a culturally safe and supportive environment where Jenny felt comfortable, respected, and connected to Country throughout her stay.Working in partnership with Jenny, staff developed an individualised case management plan that reflected her strengths, aspirations, and priorities, supporting her to take meaningful steps towards stability, independence, and a positive future for herself and her child.

Working collaboratively with Child Protection and the Margaret Tucker Hostel, Hope Street supported Jenny and her baby to transition into a mother–baby program, providing specialised parenting support and early intervention. Following her stay in the mother and baby program, Jenny was supported to secure long-term housing through Aboriginal Housing. This provided a stable foundation from which she and her child could continue to grow, strengthen their wellbeing, and build a positive future together.Jenny arrived at Hope Street during one of the most difficult periods in her life. She left with stable housing, a support network that reflected her cultural identity and individual needs, and a clear plan that she had actively helped to develop and lead.

*Name changed to protect privacy.