Media release – Brave Foundation, 30 August 2021
Brave Foundation secures $1.4 million to expand Supporting Expecting and Parenting Teens (SEPT) Program across Tasmania
National not-for-profit organisation and Tasmanian-born Brave Foundation is set to receive $1.4 million funding from the Tasmanian State Budget to deliver their expanded SEPT program across Tasmania, under ‘It takes a Tasmanian Village’, Tasmania’s first Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy for 0–25-year olds.
This funding will allow Brave to support over 280 young parents over the grant period of 2021–25, with a particular focus on the first 1000 days of life where there is very clear evidence that a good start from conception to age two is vitally important to a child’s development.
CEO and Founding Director of Brave Foundation Bernadette Black AM said the new grant signifies a major commitment from the State Government in ensuring the futures of young parents and their families in Tasmania.
“This funding announcement of $1.4 million from the Tasmanian Government will see four additional mentors employed in Tasmania,” she said. “Leveraging our existing federal funding under the Women’s Leadership and Development Program, this will bring the total number of Brave mentors in our state to six.
“This means we will ultimately be able to support some 168 teen parents in Tasmania in one year, presenting Brave with the incredible and unique opportunity of working towards ‘population scale of young parents’ in our state. This will have a serious and measurable impact in Tasmania.
“Many Tasmanians have helped contribute to our national success over the past 12 years. Now our state is leading the way in leveraging human centred policy design nationally!”
The teenage birth-rate in Tasmania is among the highest in the country, with 185 teenage births in 2018. Brave commissioned an evaluation of its Supporting Expecting and Parenting Trial, which showed the multi state/ territory program was successful. In Tasmania, 85.7% of young parents in the two-year trial transitioned to education or training and were referred to an additional four services that they otherwise would not have been.
Following the conclusion of Brave’s federally funded SEPT trial at the start of 2021, Brave Foundation was awarded $6 million over four years from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women in May 2021. This federal funding enabled the SEPT program to expand nationally, which included two Brave mentors employed in Tasmania, each working with 28 young parents.
Board Chair Professor Maria Harries AM has observed the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the foundation and its program participants, and commended the Brave board and staff on their commitment and focus over the past 20 months.
“It is clear to see the impact of Brave Foundation’s work and that it is improving the lives of many Tasmanians,” she said. “The Tasmanian government has demonstrated, via this funding commitment, that it recognises the potential in these vital young people.
“I am a champion for strategies that show excellence in early intervention policy design and can demonstrate impact. Brave has proven success in these areas, in addition to showing tenacity and adaptability in the ever-changing social services landscape.”
Since 2018, Brave Foundation’s SEPT program has engaged with over 500 expecting and parenting teens. Under the program, mentors based at community hubs work with expecting and parenting teens to create individualised plans focusing on education and workforce participation; goalsetting and career advice; health and wellbeing; navigating financial and housing assistance; and help with everyday parenting skills. The program aims to create happy, healthy, and skilled families.
Visit www.bravefoundation.org.au to learn more.
