Children born to young parents

Key insight - engaging with young parents provides a real opportunity to make generational change.

58% of all children in out of home care were born to a mum who had her first child under 20 years of age.¹

67% of these mums had their own child protection experience.¹

Young parent referrals are prioritised for service allocation ²

More than 1 in 10 referrals received by the CFSS Pathways Service relates to a family with one or more young parent/caregiver (less than 25 years of age).

These families present with similarly high levels of complexity as families with older parents.

50% of young parents (less 20 years) were pregnant when referred to the CFSS.

Pregnancy can offer an optimal window for early intervention.

60% of referrals for young parents (less than 20 years) were allocated for service provision in the CFSS, compared to 36% for parents older than 25 years.

Young parents are more likely to engage in help when it’s offered ²

Young parents are 12% more likely to engage in service provision compared to parents who are 25 years or older.

89% of young parent referrals that have been allocated by the CFSS Pathways Service engage with service providers.

Reference list

1. BetterStart Health and Development Research Group, The University of Adelaide (2019)
2. CFSS Data (2025), Analysed by Early Intervention Research and Data (EIRD) team, Child and Family Support, Department of Human Services, South Australian Government