Getting help and support

Who can help?

If you are under 18 years old and pregnant you will be offered a Common Assessment Framework known as a CAF. You may find you are referred to the Early Intervention Service  who will work with others to support you through the CAF process and your pregnancy.

What is a CAF and how will it help me?

A CAF is a series of questions that helps to identify what is working well for you and finds out what help you and your baby might need for the future. The information is recorded on a simple form. It makes sure everyone who is supporting you and helping you are working together.  

When you complete the CAF, usually with your midwife or children’s centre worker, they will tell you what is happening, make sure other people do what they say they will do and will listen to your worries. You need to agree that you are happy with everything on the form and that this information can be shared with other people who need to know about you. They will help you to put a plan in place for your pregnancy so that ongoing help is there for you.

You can find out about what the CAF looks like, what questions you may be asked and how it will be helpful for you by looking at the CAF pages on the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Maternity Services in Oxfordshire for young mums-to-be

All young mums-to-be who will be under 20 when their baby is born should receive antenatal care according to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Care Pathway for young mothers.

If you are under 20 when your baby is born, you are entitled to receive some extra support from Oxfordshire’s Maternity Service in addition to standard antenatal care.

As well as a Midwife, you will have a Maternity Support Worker who has training around the issues which face younger parents. Your health and wellbeing, and that of your baby are very important to them. The support worker will be able to offer you some home visits during your pregnancy, and will also be able to support you in learning to care for your  newborn baby  in the early days (up to a maximum of 6 weeks) in your home.

Antenatal Education

You will receive a log book in which preparation for the birth and the early days of parenting is recorded. You may choose to attend regular antenatal classes with all ages, or access TAP (Teenage and Pregnant/Parent groups for young parents under 20) or cover topics on a one-to-one basis with your maternity support worker, or a combination of all of these. It’s your choice!

The TAP groups are mostly held in Children’s Centres and run by both maternity staff and Children’s Centre staff. Ask your midwife or maternity support worker for information about the nearest TAP group to you.

Maternity Services are committed to supporting young dads as well as mums, and dads are encouraged to be involved where possible.

Contact Tricia Neasham, Specialist Midwife for Teenage Pregnancy, for more information. Tricia is based at the John Radcliffe Hospital. 01865 857882 or email Patricia.neasham@orh.nhs.uk

Meeting other mums and dads

When you first find out you’re going to be a parent you will probably have lots of questions about your pregnancy and parenthood - don’t be afraid to ask for help and talk to people!

There are groups at lots of Children’s Centres across Oxfordshire which are run especially for young parents-to-be and new parents to support you and your partner so that you can share your experiences with other young mums and dads. There are also groups especially for dads too as being a dad is a very special experience!

Your midwife or support worker will be able to tell you where these are running or you can check out where your nearest centre is on the Oxfordshire County Council website. Some of these also have a midwife who comes along to answer all your questions and give you advice. These groups are a great way of meeting other mums and dads in your local area.

Children's Centres

Children’s Centres are for children under five and their families.

They offer a range of activities, play, information and support from professionals working in a wide range of fields, whatever their background or circumstances. They will also run lots of different groups so that you and your child can have fun together, for example, by taking part in baby singing and rhyme time and stay and play sessions.

Many children’s centres run activities especially for fathers and their children. They encourage parents and carers to join in to contribute to the life of the centre, to shape and steer its services. 

I’m going to be a dad!

Finding out you are going to become a dad can fill you with lots of different emotions, you may feel scared, excited or overwhelmed or all of these! Being involved in your girlfriend’s pregnancy and your baby’s life is really important.

Research has shown that being involved with your child can positively affect their lives well into adulthood. You can help with their brain development as a newborn, with their achievement at school and reduce the risk of being involved with crime and risky behaviours in their teenage years.    

Make sure you talk to someone who can help you work out what you need to think about and where to go for more information and support.

There is information especially for dads on the Oxfordshire County Council website the ‘Especially for dads’ page has lots of useful information about your rights as a dad and information about the dad’s groups which run in Oxfordshire at Children’s Centres. Another website that has lots of information for dads in Oxfordshire with activities and places to take your child as well as taking care of yourself is Oxondads.

Parental responsibility – what is it?

Parental Responsibility is all about the duties, obligations and rights that you have regarding your child. Unlike mothers, fathers do not always have 'parental responsibility' for their children if you are not married to the mum. The mum automatically has parental responsibility for her child from birth. However, the rules for fathers gaining parental responsibility varies throughout the UK.

Check out Directgov for information about parental responsibility.

Registering the birth

After you have had your baby you have to, by law, register the birth within 42 days (six weeks). If your baby was born in Oxfordshire the birth can be registered in any one of the registration offices in the county. They are located in Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot, Henley, Oxford and Witney

You will need to make an appointment by calling the helpline on 0845 129 5900 or you can book online and the staff will tell you what you will need to take with you and help you with any queries. The appointment lasts about 30 minutes.

Who can register my baby’s birth?

If you are married, either parent may register the birth. But if you are not married and the father's details are to be included in the birth entry, then you must attend together.

After you have registered the birth you will receive a short birth certificate. You will need the birth certificate for a number of reasons including applying for child benefit.

Check out the information on the Oxfordshire County Council website section on registering a birth about where and how you register the birth of your baby.