Exclusion code 2, Single Parent Households With a Child Under Age Six (6) Unable to Attain Needed Child Care is being changed to Single Custodial Caretaker Households Unable to Attain Needed Child Care.  This policy applies to any household where the individual is a single custodial caretaker caring for a child and is unable to obtain appropriate, suitable, and/or affordable child care.  These updates correspond with memorandum IM-#157 dated December 2, 1998, Determining Available, Suitable and Affordable Child Care.

A single custodial caretaker household with a child under  the age of six (6) who is unable to participate in a work activity because of their inability to obtain needed child care may be temporarily excluded from participation.  If any of the following listed criteria are present, then NO  sanction may be imposed on a family:

• Unavailability of appropriate child care within a reasonable distance from home or work site;
• Unavailability or unsuitability of informal child care by a relative or under other arrangements;
• Unavailability of appropriate and affordable formal child care arrangements.

This exclusion may also be considered for children over  the age of six (6) when situations warrant.  Examples of situations where this may be appropriate Are: 

• Lack of child care arrangements for evening, night time, or weekend care for school age children when the single custodial caretaker's work hours involve evening, night time, or weekend hours,
• Lack of child care arrangements for after school care for school age children over the age of six who are notyet old enough or mature enough to stay home unattended until their single caretaker gets home from work,
• Lack of child care arrangements during summer or winter breaks and on holidays, and 
• Lack of child care for a special needs child.

This "Child Protection Clause" is designed to promote parental choice in child care decisions.  It is not the intent of this policy for staff to determine which provider a family should use nor does it alter current policy for determining a provider's eligibility for child care subsidy payments.

Review this memorandum with appropriate staff;

 

Do not sanction a single custodial caretaker household for non-compliance for work participation due to their demonstrated inability to locate child care.

 

Remove obsolete Temporary Assistance Manual pages 0250-3, 0250-4, 0250-5,  0250-6, 0250-7, 0250-8, 0250-9, and 0250-9a and replace with attached revised pages.