Becoming Parents and Carers
9.3 HSC Core: Parenting and Caring
Becoming parents and carers
Parent: individual who cares for an infant from birth until independence.
Carer: individual who takes on role of looking after someone who is ill or dependent.
Being a parent or carer is one of them most demanding jobs there is. Children need to learn how to be strong, to develop the ability to make decisions, and be responsible and trustworthy. They should learn how to love and be loved, to care about people and show respect for families and others.
Biological parents: Are the people who produce and provide the genetic material for a child. Begins at the moment of conception.
• Pregnancy: result of intercourse or artificial insemination. Lasts 38-40 weeks. Natural birth or by caesarean section can happen.
- Planned: Willfully trying to have a baby
- Unplanned: unplanned pregnancy usually occurs when you have unprotected sexual intercourse example rape/abuse.
• IVF and GIFT: when pregnancy doesn’t occur naturally. Involves eggs being removed, mixed with semen then re-implanted into the uterus. GIFT (gamete intra-fallopian transfer) involves the egg and sperm transferred into the woman so conception occurs inside the body.
Social parents: Individuals who care for a child without providing genetic material. These parents take on the responsibilities of being a parent and may face particular difficulties due to the nature of their relationship with the child.
• Adoption: alternative for parents who cannot conceive a child. But there are few babies/children available and long waiting lists. It is a legal procedure where the child is no longer considered part of their biological family. Parents are required to show that they can meet the needs of the child. Potential parents motivation, reputation, personal and marital stability, state of health are all assessed. It requires a lot of energy and the willingness and ability to give the child a great deal of time, love and care.
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Becoming parents and carers
Parent: individual who cares for an infant from birth until independence.
Carer: individual who takes on role of looking after someone who is ill or dependent.
Being a parent or carer is one of them most demanding jobs there is. Children need to learn how to be strong, to develop the ability to make decisions, and be responsible and trustworthy. They should learn how to love and be loved, to care about people and show respect for families and others.
Biological parents: Are the people who produce and provide the genetic material for a child. Begins at the moment of conception.
• Pregnancy: result of intercourse or artificial insemination. Lasts 38-40 weeks. Natural birth or by caesarean section can happen.
- Planned: Willfully trying to have a baby
- Unplanned: unplanned pregnancy usually occurs when you have unprotected sexual intercourse example rape/abuse.
• IVF and GIFT: when pregnancy doesn’t occur naturally. Involves eggs being removed, mixed with semen then re-implanted into the uterus. GIFT (gamete intra-fallopian transfer) involves the egg and sperm transferred into the woman so conception occurs inside the body.
Social parents: Individuals who care for a child without providing genetic material. These parents take on the responsibilities of being a parent and may face particular difficulties due to the nature of their relationship with the child.
• Adoption: alternative for parents who cannot conceive a child. But there are few babies/children available and long waiting lists. It is a legal procedure where the child is no longer considered part of their biological family. Parents are required to show that they can meet the needs of the child. Potential parents motivation, reputation, personal and marital stability, state of health are all assessed. It requires a lot of energy and the willingness and ability to give the child a great deal of time, love and care.
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