‘Nobody is born knowing how to be a parent’: navigating tensions in the experiences of teenage mothers within the child protection system

Adolescent motherhood has historically been viewed as a public health issue, often associated with a range of challenges in the lives of young women. When teenage mothers find themselves within child protection systems, the social perceptions of adolescent pregnancy intersect with factors such as histories of abuse and neglect, the stigma associated with being in care, and the social hardships arising from often impoverished backgrounds. This study explores the tensions surrounding the experiences of teen mothers through their social representations of adolescent motherhood. Using interviews with six teenage mothers residing in residential care, we conducted an inductive reflexive thematic analysis to examine the complexities of their experiences. Three key themes emerged: (1) Social Expectations: How I perceive others view me; (2) The Ambivalence of Receiving Support vs. Being Hyper-surveilled as Mothers under Gendered Mandates; and (3) Present, Past, Future: Embodying Motherhood. The paper discusses the implications for practice within child welfare, highlighting the importance of studying adolescent motherhood from an intersectional perspective. Furthermore, it underscores the significance of amplifying adolescent voices in reshaping child protection policies and practices, challenging the traditional adult-centric views that shape our understanding of their experiences.