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ERIC ED386635: Every Child Deserves Two Parents: Establishing Paternity for Children of Single Teenage Mothers. PDF

100 Pages·1994·1.7 MB·English
by  ERIC
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Preview ERIC ED386635: Every Child Deserves Two Parents: Establishing Paternity for Children of Single Teenage Mothers.

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 386 635 CG 026 451 AUTHOR Wise, Janet M. TITLE Every Child Deserves Two Parents: Establishing Paternity for Children of Single Teenage Mothers. PUB DATE 94 NOTE 100p.; Ed.D. Practicum, Nova Southeastern University. Dissertations/Theses PUB TYPE Practicum Papers (043) Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adolescents; Child Welfare; *Early Parenthood; Family Planning; Fatherless Family; *Fathers; Parent Role.; Pregnancy; *Pregnant Students; Secondary Education; Sexuality; Youth Problems IDENTIFIERS *Paternity Establishment ABSTRACT Single teenage parents and expectant parents in four community-based programs were provided with information about establishing the paternity of their children. The information presented included the benefits, obligations and consequences of paternity establishment for the mother, father, child and society. The goal was to educate single teenagers about paternity establishment and to enable them to make informed decisions. An additional goal was to increase paternity establishment rates for children of single teenage parents served through the project. Educational presentations included individual ane group discussions and classroom presentations supplemented with ,..asy-to-read booklets and a video presentation. Those interested in following through with paternity establishment were provided with practical assistance in completing forms, obtaining notary public services and filing appropriate documents with the Clerk of the Superior Court. Professionals interacting with single teenage parents were also educated about paternity issues and provided with information and resources. Goals for the establishment of paternity were met. Goals for educating single teenage parents were not met due to the high number of participants who did not complete the Project Assessment. Although educational efforts with teenagers and professionals were generally successful, paternity establishment is a complex issue and many more questions were raised than answered. (Contains 75 references. Seven appendices provide the survey instrument, evaluation and consent forms, list of materials, and a presentation outline.) (Author) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Every Child Deserves Two Parents: Establishing Paternity for Children of Single Teenage Mothers by Janet M. Wise Cluster 52 A Practicum II Report Presented to the Ed. D. Program in Child and Youth Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY 1994 BEST COPY AVAIL Ar3LE IF!, r,i 01 I 1,11LAIION PE FEMIE,SION It: REPREMIIE.E 111K, ATIONA1 17I I IlillIl ' INF OFIMAIION MATERIAL IIAS Ell F N GRAND. D BY LI N11 a FM:I 43 II I i/IsE ,,, 14 Itt11 /1,111ita Ice vow,/ 11"1 till 111,4,110f 1.1l1,11,1.',ii 411Ii..011,11 to ,( cil.11(111, 1-0 THE EDUCATIONAl FIESUUR(ES 1,111,.nt ,1,11,, 4 ole, Oilily 1191111,1..11 INFORMATION CFNTE-H 1 RICI s,I OF Ill 111.111 ,I1 vol.( 4 ) PRACTICUM APPROVAL SHEET This practicum took place as described. Verifier: ) a(c2 z.77-)ze-f-e7 Patricia A. Baird, MSW Program Manager, Maricoya County Public Health 1825 East Roosevelt Phoenix, Arizona 86006 Date This practicum was submitted by Janet M. Wise under the direction of the adviser listed below. It was submitted to the Ed.D. Program in Child and Youth Studies and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Nova Southeastern University. Approved: 116v, .191 199'-f Date of Final Approval of Report S. Delano, Ph.D. J Adviser , ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to my adviser, Dr. June S. Delano, who provided a firm guiding hand for me through two practicums. Her interest and understanding of my subject and her helpful suggestions sustained me throughout. My appreciation is extended to all who participated in this project. This includes Diane Johnson, Cathy Roberts and Dianne Goss from Yuma, Arizona, the Mari copa Adolescent Parent Program and the case managers at the Maricopa Teen Prenatal Express. And finally, special thanks to Pat Baird, who originally suggested the idea for this project and assisted me in every possible way, and to Angela Thompson who established paterniti es with intelligence enthusiam tenacity and wit. , , Iii 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii TABLE OF CON I ENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii ABSTRACT viii Chapter II INTRODUCTION 1 Description of Community 1 Writer s Work Setting and Role 4 STUDY OF THE PROBLEM II 7 Problem Description 7 Problem Documentation 13 Causative Analysis 19 Relationship of the Problem to the Literature 22 III ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES AND EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS 31 Goals and Expectations 31 Expected Outcomes 31 Measurement of Outcomes 33 SOLUTION STRATEGY IV 36 Discussion and Evaluation of Possible Solutions 36 Description and Justification for Solution Selected 43 Report of Action Taken 45 V RESULTS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 58 Results 58 Discussion 66 Recomm endati ons 68 Dissemination 70 REFERENCES 72 iv Appendices A PATERNITY ESTABLISHMENT INTAKE SURVEY 78 B PROJECT ASSESSMENT 80 C FINAL EVALUATION 82 D PROJECT ROLLUP FORM 84 E LIST OF MATERIALS 86 F CONSENT TO RELEASE INFORMATION 88 G PATERNITY PRESENTATION OUTLINE 90 6 LIST OF TABLES Table PATERNITY PROJECT RESULTS 61 1 2 PATERNITY PROJECT DEMOGRAPHICS 62 vi 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure STATE TRENDS N OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS 9 1 2 AFFIDAVIT OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PATERNITY 18 FLNAL EVALUATION RESULTS 3 64 ii 8 ABSTRACT Every Child Deserves Two Parents: Establishing Paternity for Children of Single Teenage Parents. Wise, Janet M. 1994. Practicum Report, Nova Southeastern University, Ed. D. , Program in Child and Youth Studies. Paternity, Fatherhood, Single Teenage Parents, Child Support, Welfare Reform, Absent Parents, Family Decline. Single teenage parents and expectant parents in four community-based programs were provided with information about establishing the paternity of their children. The information presented included the benefits, obligations and consequences of paternity establishment for the mother, father, child and society. The goal was to educate single teenagers about paternity establishment and to enable them to make informed decisions. An additional goal was to increase paternity establishment rates for children of single teenage parents served through the project. Educational presentations included individual and group discussions and classroom presentations supplemented with easy-to-read booklets and a video presentation. Those interested in following through with paternity establishment were provided with practical assistance in completing forms, obtaining notary public services and filing appropriate documents with the Clerk of the Superior Court. Professionals interacting with single teenage parents were also educated about paternity issues and provided with information and resources. Goals for the establishment of paternity were met. Goals for educating single teenage parents were not met due to the high number of participants who did not complete the Project Assessment. Although educational efforts with teenagers and professionals were generally successful, paternity establishment is a complex issue and many more questions were raised than answered. Permission Statement As a student in the Ed. D. Program in Child and Youth Studies, I do give permission to distribute copies of this practicum report on request from interested individuals. It is my understanding that Nova Southeastern University will not charge for this dissemination except to cover the costs of microfiching, handing and mailing of the materials. date signature viii 9 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Description of Community The setting for this practicum included two prenatal care programs for pregnant teenagers operated within county health departments, one community- b ased case management program for pregnant and parenting teens and one comprehensive school-based program serving the same population. These programs were located in a southwestern state that shares a border with Mexico. One of the prenatal care programs and the community-based case management program were located in a large, urban area of the state and the other prenatal care program and the school-based program were located in a small city in the southwest corner of the state. This city is in close proximity to the international border. In 1991, the population of the state was 3,763,372 and the county cont6ning the urban area had 2,180,575 inhabitants. The population of the county in which the small city is located was 110,750 (Gersten & Mrela, 1993) and can be regarded as essentially rural. Population figures for the counties are provided because all programs included in this practicum served clients countywide. According to 1990 census figures, about 72 percent of the residents of the state were whiteinonhispanic and the remainder (28 percent) was composed of

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