Welfare to Work: States Move Unevenly to Serve Teen Parents in JOBS
HRD-93-74
Published: Jul 07, 1993. Publicly Released: Jul 07, 1993.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Program, focusing on: (1) the extent to which states have enrolled young mothers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in JOBS and helped them to complete their secondary education; (2) the approaches states have used to serve teen parents in JOBS; and (3) barriers to teen parents' successfully completing their secondary education while in JOBS.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | Because some teen parents appear to be incorrectly exempted from JOBS, the Secretary of Health and Human Services should take action to determine the extent of the problem and work with the states to correct it, as appropriate. |
In July 1993, HHS held a conference with state JOBS directors and used the findings in the report as part of a discussion on serving teen parents in JOBS. The Department continues to use the report to provide technical assistance to the states on correctly identifying teen parents for participation in JOBS.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | Because some evidence suggests that states may be overlooking dependent teen parents, the Secretary of Health and Human Services should take action to ensure that dependent teen parents are properly identified by states and informed of JOBS requirements. |
In a July 1993 conference with state JOBS directors, the Department held discussions on effective ways of identifying teen parents and strategies for informing the dependent teens of their JOBS requirements. The Department also issued an action transmittal on June 17, 1994 (JOBS-ACF-1M-94-5) which addresses this issue.
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Topics
Disadvantaged personsEmployment assistance programsstate relationsSecondary educationSingle parentsState-administered programsTeenagersWelfare recipientsWorkfareMedicaid