Abstract
Research about young women transitioning from foster care into motherhood is limited both in south Africa and internationally. There is also a gap in studies that specifically focus on the support that young women receive as they transition from foster care into motherhood. Young people exiting the foster care system are considered vulnerable, as they transition out of the system with many adversities and limited support. This vulnerability is often compounded for young women who enter early parenthood during the transition out of foster care. Research also argues, while early motherhood is a difficult journey, some young women who grew up in care see motherhood as an opportunity to build a family they never had. However, research on young women transitioning from foster care into motherhood and their support systems is limited.
The aim of the study is to explore young women’s experiences of support systems during their transition from foster care into motherhood. Using the ecological systems theory as the theoretical lens, this study seeks to explore young women’s experiences of support as they transition into motherhood, looking at the different support systems that the young mothers have interacted with and the level of support that they received.
The qualitative approach was chosen as the study approach. This approach would enable the researcher to understand and describe the experiences of the support that young women received as they transitioned into mother from the participants perspective. The study was informed by phenomenology design to understand the lived experiences of the young women who participated in the study. Using purposive sampling, nine young women between the ages of 20-25, who grew up in foster care, fostered by extend family and were mothers were selected to be part of the study.
The findings of the study were presented in four main themes, namely: Navigating motherhood, Informal support received during the transition to motherhood, formal support received during the transition to motherhood and the influence of support systems on young women transitioning into motherhood. This study revealed the readiness of young mothers who were transitioning from foster care into motherhood. Furthermore, it revealed the types of support that the young women received during their transition into motherhood. Lastly, the study revealed how the young women’s journey into motherhood was influenced based on the support systems they interacted with during their transitioning. Recommendations for professionals (social workers) who manage foster care cases was also discussed. Limitations of the study were also discussed. This research study contributes to research on young women who are transitioning from foster care into motherhood.