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students who show evidence of failing, dropping out or engaging in negative behaviors that can lead to dependency, out-of-wedlock births, imprisonment, and/or other undesirable outcomes that may result in the detriment and impoverishment of youth. Eligible participants must face at least five designated barriers to success which include academic, personal, environmental or economic barriers.
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Important parts of the Personal Responsibility Agreement and Personal Responsibility Plan identify and address these critical parental obligations:
e Keep school age children in school.
e = Immunize children.
e Undergo appropriate substance abuse treatment/counseling.
e Accept personal therapy if appropriate.
e Supply medical information to substantiate limits on being able to "engage in work”.
e Attend parenting/money management and other resourceful living type classes when
needed; or e Take steps needed to become and remain employed in the private sector.
Child support enforcement interacts with the TANF program in several ways. First, applicants/recipients must cooperate with the Department to establish paternity or in obtaining, modifying, or enforcing a support order with respect to their dependent children. Second, the custodial parent must further assign to the State any rights they may have (on behalf of their children) to receive support from an absent parent.
The Department is taking the following actions to reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies: e Aninformational brochure is provided to all TANF applicants. e The Division of Child Support provides presentations to school student bodies on the consequences of teen pregnancy and child support on request. A letter and a supply of Teen Pregnancy brochures is mailed to all junior and senior high school counselors advising that they may make a request for a DCS staff to provide a presentation. Information and presentations are developed for both male and female audience. Through these efforts it is hoped that there will be a decrease in the number of out- of-wedlock births.
The Department promotes an on-going cooperative effort in order to provide education and training about the problems related to domestic violence and statutory rape. Stakeholders involve, but are not limited to the following organizations:
e Law enforcement officials
e Department of Health
e Department of Education
e Department of Corrections
e Department of Human Services
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