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Show Local Welfare Director Outlines AFDC Changes New Public Welfare provisions provis-ions of the recently enacted 1967 Social Security Act Am-mendments Am-mendments will cause a major ma-jor overhaul of Utah's Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) welfare program. Mrs. Wendy Nelson, Director Dir-ector of the Grand County Division of Welfare Office reported re-ported this week that Most AFDC recipient mothers in the state will be expected to take advantage of the special spec-ial opportunities to enter new employment training and work experience programs in conjunction with receiving their welfare money grants. Regarded by Congress as "a national committment to the concept that children are better off growing up in a home where work and wages are the principle source of the family's support", the new welfare provisions also provide a steped-up welfare wel-fare program of comprehensive comprehen-sive social and rehabilitation services to AFDC families. Costing in excess of $800 million, mil-lion, both training and services serv-ices programs are aimed 1 at "preserving, rehabilitating, reuniting, and strengthening the family; and assisting family fam-ily members to attain or retain re-tain capability for maximum self-support and personal self-sufficiency". self-sufficiency". ' Mrs. Nelson stated that the actual implementation of the new provisions is still several months away. "We are just now beginning to study the new law, and determine how the present AFDC program will have to be changed", said Mrs. Nelson. State administrative ad-ministrative expenditures for gram in Utah, involving over 5000 families, are matched at the rate of 25 per cent state and 75 per cent federal contributions. con-tributions. - ' According to Mrs. Nelson, the work and training programs pro-grams will be administered by the Utah State Department Depart-ment of Employment Security. Sec-urity. They will be set up under un-der the three Board "priorities" "priori-ties" designed-to. meet individual indiv-idual needs and capabilities of participants. They are: Regular Employment On The , Job-Individuals qualified for available .jobs will be ;re-ferred ;re-ferred by the County Division of Welfare Office to the State Employment , Service for placement in regular employ-- employ-- ment. (Under the present AFDC program, mothers of small children are not expect ed to seek employment in the labor market.) Employment Training -Persons who require training before be-fore becoming employable, such as basic education, classroom training in job skills, etc., will be assigned to courses to qualify them for jobs that are available. During Dur-ing the training period tiie family will receive an incenl- ive payment in addition to its regular welfare money grant. Special Work Experience Projects Persons who are found to be unsuitable for training or for whom employment employ-ment cannot be found will be assigned to special work experience ex-perience projects provided by local public and private nonprofit non-profit agencies which contract for this purpose with the state employment service. The monthly welfare grant plus arr added cash incentive will bej paid as wages. Each petson's; work record will be regularly reviewed to determine feas-; ibility of placement in regu-" lar employment, or assign-; ment to an employment traip ing program. A Mrs. Nelson noted that day care services will be provided provid-ed for children of parents re ferred to work , and training programs. |