Communities of Support for Care-Experienced Mothers

Abstract

Abstract A genuinely supportive social network is crucial to health and well-being in motherhood. Feeling supported during challenging times can help to shield the impact of adversity and distress. Mutual support networks resulting from authentic, caring connections with others can be particularly beneficial to people with histories of fractured family relationships and/or out-of-home care (OOHC). As three women with lived experience of OOHC, we describe how we have built communities of support to sustain us as we raise our families, reflect on our childhoods, and strive to provide loving environments for our children. Our narratives highlight the value of informal support during the joys and challenges of motherhood, and the need for strength-based and trauma-informed practices within health and social work. Drawing on the theory of social support, we argue that professionals should aim to support care-experienced young people to empower themselves by building autonomous and authentic social connections to promote their well-being, particularly during life transitions such as exiting care and becoming parents.