Page 73

73 North Carolina the children display. The Child Only worker will refer on a case-by-case basis to the Kinship Program Social Worker who will provide intervention strategies to reduce the complexity of the challenges faced by this population. Family-centered approach is utilized in working with relative caregivers or parents in developing a service plan that best meets the needs of the family and will have the greatest intervention impact. A twice monthly group is also offered to Kinship families to discuss the successes and challenges experienced when taking on the responsibility of surrogate parenting. Child Only cases are not subject to work requirements. However, all NC FAST cases that have a custodial parent (biological, adoptive or stepparent) living in the home and are not included in the Work First case are subjected to a 60-Month State time clock. The child must be a legal U.S. citizen to be eligible. 3. Education will be supported in combination with other federal countable work activities. Families will continue to be assessed and referred to educational and training facilities such as Wilson Community College, Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) and NCWorks for education and training opportunities. 4. Families can be assisted with miscellaneous items or services needed to participate in an agreed upon activity that can lead to employment, parenting education, or financial education training. Items may include, but not limited to uniforms, shoes, tools, registration fees, insurance coverage books, assessments, meals/refreshments, academic and financial behavior incentives/retention bonuses, etc. 5. It is vital for the family to move toward independence and self-sufficiency and that both parents of the child(ren) provide financial support for their children. Under the Work First plan all persons applying for Work First cash assistance must complete a Child Support application prior to making a Work First application. 6. Wilson DSS will provide exemption from the work requirements for single custodial parents based on the age of the child. The age limit to receive the exemption is birth to three months of age. Any single custodial parent who does not have a child between the ages of birth to three months old will not be eligible to claim the Exemption 7. There will be a two-tier appeals process that complies with state law (G.S. 108A-79). 8. Helping Work First parents and caregivers keep their children in school and progress toward graduation is a major focus of our Work First staff. Social Workers work with the entire family on promoting education and training and the responsibilities of parents to ensure teens remain in school. As part of the Work First “core requirements” parents/caregivers are expected to keep their children in school. Failure to keep their children in school can result in financial penalty/sanction or termination of the Work First cash assistance payment. 9. Wilson County will serve families with dependent children, ages zero through 17 years, who are actively attending school, registered with ESC and are actively seeking employment, or are employed. All adults in the family, under age 65, must