Young Fathers Employment Program
What is Young Fathers Employment Program
The Young Fathers Employment Program is a progressive and wide-ranging initiative that serves fathers and non-custodial parties in Talbot County. The mission of the program is to empower parents to become more responsible, accountable, and more active participants in the lives of their children. The Caroline County Department of Social Services endeavors to:
- Increase parental involvement and nurturing of mothers and fathers through relationship and parental skill development and mediation;
- Assist with barriers to financial and emotional responsibility through job readiness, employment development, and life skills counseling; and
- Promote and increase the payment of child support through job placement and retention assistance.
Why Should I Enroll?
The Young Fathers Program empowers participants to be financially, emotionally and physically supportive of their families. It is a positive platform for parents seeking to create a stable economic environment for their children by ingraining consistently good work habits and engaging fathers to support one another by sharing parenting strategies that lead to building lasting relationships with their children.
Am I Eligible?
Non-custodial parties who have a Talbot County child support case, are unemployed or underemployed, and can commit to working upon program completion are eligible for the Young Fathers Employment Program. If you meet these requirements, we invite you to start the enrollment process.
What Type of Training Does the Program Provide?
The Young Fathers Employment Program is a no-cost opportunity to train for a career that will help you support yourself and your family. Our program partners are experienced in helping people overcome barriers to employment and building pathways to rewarding, lifelong careers.
Contact
For additional questions about the Young Fathers Employment Program or how to enroll, contact the program coordinator: Isaiah Greene at 410-819-4471 – isaiah.green@maryland.gov, Lori Keel – lori.keel@maryland.gov or call DHS’s helpline at (800) 332-6347.
Partners
The program is designed in partnership with the Caroline County Public Schools Office of Minority Achievement and will host Parenting Classes at the Caroline County Social Services Building: 300 Market Street, Denton, Maryland. In collaboration with the Caroline County Parents as Partners Program, the Young Fathers Employment Program anticipates working with Mid-Shore Pro Bono,
Inc. This will assist us in helping non-custodial parties with legal representation to address: Housing, Foreclosure Assistance, Family Law, Debt Assistance and other legal matters.
In addition, the Young Fathers Program partners with the Recovery Outreach System Care Team (ROSC), The Homeless ID Project, WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) System and the Chesapeake College ACE (Accelerating Connections to Employment Program to provide much-needed services to fathers.
The Young Fathers Employment Program intentionally targets fathers with a history of non-compliance and provides intense Case Management sessions enabling a growing number of participants to succeed in making payments and better connecting with their children and families.