0:00:05 > 0:00:09In the midst of an economic recession, we're all in it together,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12but some are in it deeper than others.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17With one in five young people struggling to find work,
0:00:17 > 0:00:22and many dependent on benefits, Britain's youth is being hit hard.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Amber.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43In Bradford, 16-year-old Amber is being woken up by her sister.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Amber!
0:00:44 > 0:00:45Uh.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- You have to wake up.- No.- Yeah!
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Ah!
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Amber's four months pregnant and things are tough.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The baby's dad is no longer around, and she has no income.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Since she is living at home, she is dependent on support from her family.
0:01:04 > 0:01:12I'm in here because my bedroom's getting redecorated for ready for when my baby comes, so...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And I don't have no carpet at the moment, cos we haven't been able to get a carpet,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18so I've got to sleep on t'couch.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23You made a right mess. Can tell you don't make cup of teas.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I'm sure you can make your own.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30'It's hard, you know, I'm still a teenager.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35'Like, I'm scared inside, so being pregnant's a new beginning.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'I've got to grow up.'
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Despite being 20 weeks pregnant,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Amber has started an introductory hair and make-up course.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46But she's also having to get used to being seen as a teenage mum.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52When I go to hospital, I just feel awkward sometimes.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55You know you look dead young compared to all these...women.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And sometimes you get a few stares as well.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04It still feels like...you've done summat wrong,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08even though you haven't, but you have, it's weird.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11And a lot of them are with their partners as well,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15and I'm just, like, walking, toddling on my own.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I've got to take in a notepad today, and I don't even have one.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39A year ago, Amber left home after falling out with her mum.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43She also dropped out of college and went to live with her dad.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45But when she got pregnant,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48she had to think what was best for her and her baby.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53My dad didn't have no carpets and didn't really have much food
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and stuff like that. I knew it wouldn't be stable,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59so I chose to come back to my mum.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Hello! I don't have no bedroom.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06Amber's mum, Mandy, and her partner, Scott, receive benefits.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10But despite Amber moving back home, they get no extra money
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and now the family finances are even more stretched.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Still, it does mean Mandy can try and keep Amber on the right path.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Obviously I feel a lot better now she's back.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24She's had to get used to the idea that there's rules
0:03:24 > 0:03:28and regulations again, and getting back into the routine,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31that there's a bedtime and we eat at a certain time.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Went through a bad part in my life where I went through a lot of...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38I met a lot of boys, did a lot of bad things, you know.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I've been that so-called slapper what you meet.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Every now and then she has a little blast-out.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Especially her hormones and teenage years mixed together.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Probably part of this is the stress at her age.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I've had a lucky escape to be pregnant
0:03:55 > 0:03:57because it's made me change the way I were.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01I'm going to try my best to make sure he has the right way of life,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03you know, he might come off track.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I hope he's not like most of the boys I know.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08I don't mean, like, my close mate boys
0:04:08 > 0:04:13but, like, the more...like, the nasty attitude, the hurting women,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16you know, being a complete arse.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18And if he got someone pregnant
0:04:18 > 0:04:23and he did what my baby's dad done to me, I'd be so ashamed.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I was 19 when I had Amber.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31Erm, obviously I were a bit more grown-up than her,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34erm, but I still were in a bit of a similar situation,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36where I weren't prepared to have a baby.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I didn't have the things that I needed.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Erm, it weren't an ideal...situation either.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44She's got the same kind of thoughts as me.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52It's a few weeks later and Amber's given up on the beauty course.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55He'll push it t'back of the spoon and then he can't reach it!
0:04:55 > 0:04:58It was too difficult whilst being pregnant.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Her friend Sammy became a mum six months ago
0:05:01 > 0:05:03and like Amber, she's not with the dad so relies on benefits.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07This will be Amber's only option as well,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10so she's made an application for income support.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Is that nice?
0:05:11 > 0:05:16For both, pregnancy has meant completely rethinking their futures.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18I didn't think you were going to have kids.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22I didn't plan for it to happen, but I wouldn't change it
0:05:22 > 0:05:27cos obviously I was expecting it to be a lot later when I was having children...
0:05:27 > 0:05:30We said if we ever had a baby. I wouldn't get rid of it, cos it's well tight.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Yeah, I wouldn't have got rid of him.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33There's no way I'd have done that.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I thought, "I'm not going to be able to cope."
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I didn't know about the money schemes and stuff.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I thought, "I'm not going to have no money, what am I going to do?"
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Obviously, at the beginning I'm on t'dole, but what am I supposed to do?
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I need to provide for my baby, so I ain't got much of a choice at the moment.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51You know it's going to be way harder if we were on us own.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Amber's finally heard about her income support claim.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It's not good.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- You all right?- Yeah.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11She's only eligible when 29 weeks pregnant and, mistakenly, she had applied too early.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16Right, so what we have to do is take another look at how we do us shopping.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20We both smoke, so we'll have to both stop smoking.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It's making the best of a situation now.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27But you're going to eat, you're going to be warm, OK?
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Mm. I just don't want to be one of them mums
0:06:31 > 0:06:32that baby doesn't have nothing.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Shouldn't have put myself in this position in t'first place,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40but it's happened and at least I'm trying to make it work.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46It's like Amber's following the same path
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and obviously I've tried to do everything possible.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53You were... You are a good mum.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Come here.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Everything's going to be fine.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09She will have to wait and reapply.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Amber's attending her six-month appointment with her midwife.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Only healthy babies wriggle around that much
0:07:19 > 0:07:21so it's a really, really good sign.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Are you feeling all right in yourself, yeah?
0:07:23 > 0:07:24- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:07:24 > 0:07:25How are you doing wi' smoking?
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I went all the day, cos we didn't have no money for no cigs at all,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30so I went all the day without having a cig, until right,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33right late at night, from not having none for all day.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34- Er, you know already...- Yeah.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Single biggest preventable cause of babies dying,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39so if we can knock those ciggies on the head.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Erm, have you had one of these?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43I don't know.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Cos it's got some information about, you know,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47your claim for child benefit and that kind of stuff,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49cos you're over 29 weeks now, so, you know.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- Yeah, my first payment should be t'day before my birthday.- Excellent.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55So, I can finally get him something!
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- SHE EXHALES - At last.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Right, sweetheart, I think we're all sorted, and done and dusted.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Mandy's managed to find £78 from the family's budget
0:08:09 > 0:08:12to do up Amber and the baby's new room.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So, you'll just have to wait a couple of weeks now, to get your carpet.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Yup, and then my wardrobe is my next thing.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20It's all on you from now on.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24It's down to you to change and make things better for yourself.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I've had to grow into an adult, I've had to change a lot of my ways.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34You have to, though, you have to mature.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38You can't just... You can't be a kid looking after a kid, like...
0:08:40 > 0:08:44You can't act like a child and be looking after a child.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Amber's income support claim has finally been accepted.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- Just look at the cheaper ones for now.- Do you like them?
0:08:53 > 0:08:58It's free money, but then we wouldn't be able to live if we didn't have it.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02- £96.- Thank you.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Everybody struggles, everybody finds it hard to pay for things,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and I know some people have it a lot worse off than me.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14If they offer you painkillers, just have them,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16don't be too brave, kid, yeah?
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Go in through these doors.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- You need to let them know. - Good timing!- Thank you.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29You're doing fantastic, you are.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Oh, my God.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37I got you.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47I can't believe I'm a mum. Doesn't seem real at all.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49(Let's have a look at him.)
0:09:49 > 0:09:54'Well, it's not been easy and I kind of want him to know that as well,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'because obviously a lot of children copy their mums and dads.'
0:09:58 > 0:10:03He'll make it up to me sometime for putting me through all this pain.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04SHE GIGGLES
0:10:14 > 0:10:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd