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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 27, 2006 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 5-(~ <br />SUBJECT: Contract Renewal with Orange County Schools System for Adolescent <br />Parenting Services <br />DEPARTMENT: Social Services <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Renewal Contract <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Nancy Coston, 245-2800 <br />Gwen Price, 245-2800 <br />PURPOSE: To renew the contract with Orange County Schools System to provide specialized <br />services to pregnant and parenting teens. <br />BACKGROUND: One of the main goals outlined in the federal welfare reform legislation is to <br />support teen parents and to avoid additional unplanned pregnancies. Therefore, federal funds <br />in the Work First Block Grant can be used for this purpose, <br />The goals of this program are to improve parenting skills, assure that participants complete their <br />education and delay second pregnancies, The ultimate goals are to help teens prepare to be <br />self-sufficient and to prevent them from becoming dependent on public assistance, Teen <br />parents are at high risk for becoming dependent on public assistance, particularly if they drop <br />out of school, This contract will be ccordinated with the programs at the Department of Social <br />Services, which have been very effective at helping participants to finish high school and to <br />delay additional pregnancies. In Fiscal Year 2005-2006, twenty-one teen parents were served <br />by the expansion program with Orange County Schools, Because of the services provided <br />under this contract, eleven teen parents will graduate this school year from the Adolescent <br />Parenting Program (APP). Of the eleven teens, six are from Orange County Schools, <br />Teen parents have been identified far services next year and there is sufficient need to justify a <br />full-time social worker in the Orange County Schools System. The renewal contract is based on <br />a caseload of 12-18 teen parents. The social worker will provide individual and group <br />interventicns with teens and will try to address issues that might result in the student dropping <br />out of school. Supportive services (such as housing, transportation, day care, medical care) <br />may also be arranged by the social workers, The social worker works with the other school <br />personnel to meet the academic needs of pregnant or parenting students. <br />