Adoption Services

PH-0300

Programs that participate in arranging permanent homes under new legal parentage for individuals whose birth parents are unable or unwilling to provide for their care. Included are programs that provide counseling and assistance for people who decide to relinquish their children for adoption or arrange for an independent adoption; which recruit, select, counsel and match suitable adoptive parents with children who have been relinquished; which assist in the adoption of stepchildren, adults or foreign-born children; which provide foster care for children who have been relinquished for adoption but not yet placed; and/or which assist people who are adopted to locate their birth parents and birth parents to locate the children they relinquished.

Certificates/Forms Assistance

FT-1020

Programs that help people obtain, complete and/or file official forms, certificates, documents, applications or other paperwork that is required to apply for benefits or services, initiate or respond to legal action or to officially handle or document the occurrence of a transaction; that help people acquire copies of official documents on file elsewhere; or that review legal documentation an individual has received to help explain its meaning.

Child Care Centers

PH-1250.1400

Programs that are licensed to provide supervised care within designated facilities for children during some portion of a 24-hour day. Staff for approved day care centers must meet defined educational requirements; the program must ensure specified adult/child ratios; and the facility must meet building, fire and zoning codes. Services may include recreational and developmental activities and snacks and/or meals, as appropriate.

Child Support Assistance/Enforcement

FT-3000.1600

Programs that provide assistance which helps to ensure that parents fulfill their mutual obligation to financially support and provide health care for their children. Included are services for people who want to locate an absent parent; establish paternity; establish a child support order; request that the non-custodial parent provide health insurance for a child in conjunction with a child support order; change the amount of a child support award; dispute a child support award; or enforce payment of child support monies in cases where the supporting parent is delinquent in paying or refuses to pay or make health insurance arrangements altogether. Child support is money paid by one parent to another for the maintenance, including the education, of their children following the dissolution of their marriage or other relationship. Non-custodial parents enrolled in an insurance plan at work may be required to include the child under this coverage while those not covered by any insurance plan may be required to obtain medical coverage, if available at a reasonable cost. Child support assistance/enforcement may be provided by private attorneys, legal clinics, family law facilitators' offices or child support enforcement programs which are available in all states, often as a component of the district attorney's office.

Domestic/Family Violence Legal Services

FT-3000.1750

Programs that provide information and guidance and/or representation in court proceedings for individuals who have been abused in an intimate relationship and/or for people who are facing a summary conviction offence or criminal charge for perpetrating abuse. Included are domestic violence law clinics and other legal assistance programs that represent victims of domestic abuse at restraining order hearings or in other civil or criminal actions involving charges against an abuser. Most also represent the person's interests in complexities that arise as part of the legal process such as restitution, payment of debts or child support, custody and visitation and property control. Some programs may also represent victims of domestic abuse who have been charged with a crime and/or handle cases involving accusations of child abuse filed by one parent against the other, abuse of an elderly person by an adult child or abuse of an adult child by a parent.

Family Support Centers/Outreach

PH-2360.2400

Programs that provide a wide variety of social services that are designed to support the healthy development of families, improve family interaction skills and help fragile families to resolve their problems at a pre-crisis stage before they become unmanageable. Services may be center-based or provided on an outreach basis to families who are initially reluctant to seek support and generally target the specific needs of a particular community. Included may be self-sufficiency programs which help families break the cycle of poverty by addressing the barriers to self-sufficiency; early child development and school success programs; programs which address the needs of teen parents; programs which target parents at risk for becoming abusive; programs for families with children who have special developmental needs and programs that focus on the maternal and child health care needs of first-time, expectant women whose babies are at high risk for low birth weight and infant mortality.

Lead Poisoning Screening

LF-4900.4500

Programs that take blood samples from young children to identify individuals who have ingested paint or other materials containing lead and have absorbed an undue amount of the substance. Results may lead to continued surveillance, testing, referrals for medical evaluation, and/or housing inspection to identify lead hazards and prevent further occurrences of lead poisoning. Included are screenings conducted during home visits and clinic-based screening.

Mentoring Programs

PH-1400.5000

Programs that provide companionship, guidance and/or role models for individuals who are disadvantaged because of age, income, physical or developmental disabilities or family environment.

Parenting Education

PH-6100

Programs that provide classes, workshops or other educational opportunities for parents or potential parents who want to acquire the knowledge and skills to be effective in their parenting role.

Parenting Helplines

PH-6100.6600

Programs that operate a telephone counseling and information line that parents can call when they have childhood development questions, need advice regarding a specific parenting problem or need a referral for parenting resources.

Parenting Skills Classes

PH-6100.6800

Programs that teach skills that enable parents to deal constructively and consistently with a broad spectrum of child rearing problems which may include sibling rivalry; school behavior and performance; poor self-esteem; shyness; drug use; sexual promiscuity; and the whole range of negative, acting-out behaviors including whining, temper tantrums, disobedience, insolence and destructiveness. Some parenting skills development programs utilize a step-by-step approach for managing specific problems and may incorporate application at home of techniques that were discussed and practiced in the classroom setting. Other programs may offer participatory family workshops which provide opportunities for parents and children to learn and practice methods for dealing with one another under the guidance of a trained facilitator. Most training programs teach the parent a particular way of talking and relating to their children that reinforces positive behaviors and communication and decreases negative behaviors while supporting the development of a relationship that is built on fairness, mutual caring and respect.

Prenatal/Postnatal Home Visitation Programs

LJ-5000.6615

Programs staffed by nurses or other trained professionals or volunteers that visit the homes of eligible mothers during pregnancy and early infancy to help the women improve their personal health and development during the prenatal period and learn to care for the child following birth. The visits encourage the mothers to maintain good nutrition; and provide information regarding danger signs in pregnancy, preparation for labor and delivery, breastfeeding and other feeding options, baby supplies, basic infant care, newborn behaviors and child development. They help to ensure that infants and toddlers are nurtured, live in a safe environment in and around the home and receive proper health care. Included are programs that focus on low income individuals, pregnant teens, first-time mothers, women with high risk pregnancies or other special populations as well as those that are more broadly available.