Parents Under 20 Living Independently

For a parent under 20 to be allowed to live independently, special rules apply to ensure that they achieve educational goals and acquired necessary independent living and parenting skills.  

In order to live independently, the following requirements must be met:

For Parents Under the Age of 20, but over age 18

  • married and living with their spouse or;
  • unmarried, or married but not living with their spouse, and is:
    • a high school graduate, or
    • a graduate of a high school equivalency program, or
    • attending school full-time not beyond the high school level, or
    • attending a full-time high school equivalency program and participating in an approved training or employment-related activity for a total of 20 hours per week

Reminder: When any client discloses concerns due to domestic violence, you must ensure the client is referred to their local DV Specialist.

For Parents Under the Age of 18

  • unmarried or:
  • married and not living with their spouse, and;
  • Department of Children and Families (DCF) confirms that there is no known reason the parent cannot live independently, that they are a graduate of a DCF independent living program and/or cannot return to their own parent’s home and are:
    • a high school graduate, or
    • a graduate of a high school equivalency program, or
    • attending school full-time not beyond the high school level, or
    • attending a full-time high school equivalency program and participating in an approved training or employment-related activity for a total of 20 hours per week

Department of Children and Families (DCF) Responsibilities

For parents under age 18, DCF will facilitate an assessment to confirm that the parent under 18’s current living environment poses no apparent threat to the health and safety of the parent and their child. Please see the TAFDC YPLP Referral Process page for additional information on staff responsibilities for coordinating this Referral.

DCF will make the recommendation for a parent under 18, based on the following requirements:

  • a statement from the principal of the parent’s school or the executive director of the High school equivalency program that the parent is making satisfactory progress toward earning a diploma or High school equivalency certificate, or has graduated high school or has earned a High school equivalency certificate
  • the DCF case worker, who is working with the parent in an open DCF case states that the parent should be permitted to live independently rather than in a Young Parent Living Program (YPLP)
  • proof that the parent has established stable quality child care, and
  • statement from  the YPLP which supports the decision that the parent can live independently

DCF Independent Living Recommendation

When a Young Parent Assessment (YPA) results in a recommendation that the parent under 18 be allowed to live independently, in addition to the Young Parent Living Program Assessment Recommendation form sent to DTA, DCF must submit verifications supporting the recommendation to the Self-Sufficiency Specialist (SSS).

DCF must provide the following mandatory verifications:

  • If the parent is married, verification of the parent’s marriage license or certificate of marriage
  • Verification that there is no known reason the parent cannot live independently and a written statement from DCF verifying the parent has graduated from a DCF independent living program
  • Verification of the parent’s school attendance or verification of graduation from high school
  • Verification of the parent’s graduation from a High school equivalency program
  • Verification of the parent’s participation in an approved training or employment-related activity

Once the Young Parent Living Program Assessment Recommendation form and verifications are received, the SSS and their supervisor must submit them to the DTA Commissioner or designee, who will review the recommendation and either approve or deny the independent living arrangement request.

Follow the procedures in  DCF YPLP Referral Process for notifying the parent under 18 of the DCF recommendation.