Relational support in practice: The Supporting Expecting and Parenting Teens program (SEPT)

This report presents findings from a mixed‑methods evaluation of the Brave Foundation’s Supporting Expecting and Parenting Teens (SEPT) program in Tasmania. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and a statewide survey, the research explores how young parents experienced the program and which elements most contributed to meaningful change. Across data sources, participants consistently identified the mentoring relationship as the core mechanism of impact and a source of emotional safety, trust, and practical support. This relational foundation enabled cognitive growth through scaffolded problem‑solving, increased confidence, and gradual development of autonomy. Mentoring also supported identity development, helping young parents reframe deficit‑based narratives, strengthen their sense of capability, and imagine viable future pathways in parenting, education, and employment. These relational, cognitive, and identity‑based mechanisms aligned closely with the youth mentoring framework proposed by Raposa et al. (2019) and with the domains of the Tasmanian Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. While overwhelmingly positive, the findings also highlight vulnerabilities when continuity is disrupted, such as mentor changes or the time‑limited nature of support. Overall, the evaluation demonstrates that SEPT functions as a form of relational infrastructure that enables young parents to navigate complex systems, build agency, and pursue stable, future‑oriented pathways, with effectiveness maximised when mentoring is long‑term, consistent, and paced to individual readiness.