Naomi* was only a child when she became a mum. Without the right support, Naomi faced motherhood frightened, homeless, and alone.
14-year-old Naomi* nervously shifted her weight from one foot to another. Finally, she plucked up the courage and pressed the doorbell.
She waited. Her MacKillop case worker, Jess*, squeezed her shoulder for reassurance, but it didn’t help. Naomi feared this was going to play out the same way her other foster homes had.
And this time would be much more complicated—Naomi was 9 months pregnant.
Naomi was starting down a path that no child should ever have to walk. She had no home. No family to turn to. And she was due to give birth to her son at any moment.
Naomi is not her real name, but the rest of her story is true. And Naomi is one of the thousands of children each night searching for a safe place to sleep. Support from our generous donors has been life-changing for the children who turn to us in desperation—but there is still so much more we need to do for these children.
Naomi was referred to MacKillop after her previous agency could no longer care for her. Every foster carer she met was always warm and kind to Naomi. They would welcome Naomi into her new house, show her to her new room, introduce her to her new foster siblings.
But as soon as they started to get close, and Naomi began to feel safe and comfortable, something would switch in her brain.
She’d stay out all night without letting her carers know.
She’d skip school to hang out with people she shouldn’t and drink alcohol.
She’d feel sad, angry, and lonely and she would take it out on her carers. She would yell at them, break things in the house, and sometimes she would try to physically fight them.
Eventually, her carers would become overwhelmed by her behaviour, or frightened for their safety, and they would reluctantly let Naomi know they no longer felt they could look after her.
It was heartbreaking for Naomi to feel like she had ruined every chance of finding a happy home.
But she couldn’t help it. She’d learned to stop herself from getting attached to anyone, because her experience showed her it only led to pain and heartache.
As a child, Naomi’s parents didn’t treat her the way she deserved to be treated.
Naomi often had to assume the role of parent—looking after herself, cleaning up the house, and nursing her parents back to health after they abused drugs and alcohol.
Naomi missed out on having a childhood.
When things at home reached breaking point, Naomi ran away to live with her older sister—but things there weren’t much better.
Her sister had her own family to worry about and didn’t have time for Naomi. She didn’t have the tools to be able to manage Naomi’s erratic behaviours and emotions. And she was suffering the same childhood trauma as Naomi, because they both grew up in the same household.
Naomi moved into residential care, which is a shared home with other young people, looked after by carers employed by MacKillop. But it was not long after she had settled in that she discovered she was pregnant.
Can you imagine finding out you were pregnant at 14, with no stable home or family? Naomi must have been terrified.
Naomi couldn’t go back to live with her mum and dad—they couldn’t create the safe home environment that Naomi wanted for her own child.
And she couldn’t raise the baby in her residential care home. While residential care offers a much-needed refuge for young people, it was not a suitable place to bring up a baby.
Naomi needed a home for her baby. Somewhere he could be safe, protected, and loved. Where those crucial early bonds between mother and child could form.
And Naomi needed a home for herself. Somewhere she could be safe, protected, and loved. Where she could heal from her childhood trauma, learn to break the cycle of disadvantage, and give her child the childhood she had missed out on. The childhood all children deserve.
Time and time again, we see children coming into foster care whose parents were there before them. Young people who have little to no experience of a stable family life can find it difficult to care for their own children and the cycle begins all over again.
When Jess learned of Naomi’s situation, she immediately knew the perfect foster carer for her.
We were desperately seeking a foster carer that we knew could support Naomi with parenting and looking after a newborn baby.
The first person that came to mind was Lynn. We knew living with Lynn would be a wonderful outcome for Naomi, because Lynn had worked with a lot of other young mums in the past and supported them to look after their kids independently.
When Naomi gave birth to her son Gabriel*, Lynn was right there by her side, beaming with pride.
Lynn’s unconditional love and care has given Naomi the courage and strength to turn her life around. This was the opportunity Naomi and her son needed to break free from the cycle of disadvantage that had dominated her life.
The transformation we have seen in Naomi has been second to none. Now 16, Naomi has shown an unwavering commitment to being the best mother possible for Gabriel—who is now 14 months old and absolutely thriving.
Naomi has taken parenting courses and passed with flying colours. She joined a mums’ group that meet regularly to share support and advice. She’s working hard to get back to high school and looks forward to a future where she can go to university, get the job of her dreams, and raise and grow her family.
There’s only one way to break the cycle of disadvantage for other children like Naomi—and it starts with all of us.
Please help today with a kind donation to find more safe and loving foster homes for children like Naomi and Gabriel. Your kindness will help raise the children that will become the parents of our future.
*Names have been changed and stock images used to protect the privacy of our clients