Minor children who have children of their own frequently move from their parental homes. Often these children are ill-prepared to run a household and rear children, let alone become financially independent and self-sufficient. Mandatory assessments of these independent living arrangements will be conducted by DSS service workers. When return to the parental
home is determined to be in the best interest of the minor and her child(ren), it will be required as a condition of eligibility for AFDC.
Approximately 1500 AFDC minors under age 18 in Michigan receive public assistance for themselves and their young children. Some do not live with their parents but in households of their own. The health and social risks of teens and their children are major concerns to us in terms of infant mortality, interrupted educational plans, child abuse, and neglect. In addition, women who give births as teenagers are at a great risk of long-term
welfare dependency.
Many teens do not have the skills necessary to balance the demands of child rearing against the demands associated with achieving self-sufficiency, such as continuing education, and job training.
Yet not all minor parent grantees should live with their families.
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Some parents cannot adequately provide for additional family members.
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Some parents will not allow the minor and her child to remain in their home.
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For some, the physical or emotional risk of remaining in the parental home could jeopardize the safety of the minor and her child.
With these factors in mind, I have directed the Department of Social Services to assess the living arrangements of each minor parent who serves as a grantee on a public assistance case.
Grantees Under Sixteen Years Old
All minor parents under the age of 16 will be referred to Families First at the time of application for AFDC. At the end of the Families First intervention, an assessment will be made to determine the living arrangement that is in the best interest of the minor parent and her child(ren). In this way, necessary support services will be provide for the child, the teen
parent, and the grandparent(s) during the assessment. If it is in the minor parent's best interest to return home, she will be required as a condition of eligibility for AFDC to live with her parent(s) or adult guardian.
Sixteen- and Seventeen-Year-Old Grantees
For grantees age 16 and 17, a mandatory referral to MOST (Michigan Opportunity and Skills Training) will be made at application. At the end of two months, the MOST worker will complete an assessment to determine the living arrangement that is in the best interest of the minor parent and her child.
When a return home is in her best interest, she will be required as a condition of eligibility to live with her parent(s) or adult guardian.
In those cases where it is inappropriate for the minor to live at home, alternate living arrangements will be assessed. These could include independent living, the home of a relative, or in some cases, foster care for the minor and her child. Regardless of the living arrangement selected, all minor parent grantees will receive services to help them develop parenting skills,
pursue education and training programs, and become self-supporting.
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