(A) A local public or private agency or organization or combination of these agencies and organizations may apply to the county government for an allocation of funds to operate an adolescent pregnancy prevention initiative. All initiatives funded by the county government pursuant to this chapter shall emphasize premarital sexual abstinence and male responsibility. All initiatives funded by the county government pursuant to this chapter must distribute to and discuss the "South Carolina Family Respect" information pamphlet, published and provided by the office of the Governor, with each adolescent involved in their project or program. All applications must meet the following minimum standards for consideration:

(1) Each initiative must have a plan of action for prevention of adolescent pregnancy that extends for at least five years. The proposal must include convincing evidence of a direct link between project activities and the reduction of adolescent pregnancy in the target population.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-122-40

  • Adolescent: means an individual nineteen years of age and under. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • Contractor: means a public or private agency or organization receiving money from the fund. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • County government: means the governing body of a county or the organization or agency in a county that has been designated pursuant to § 44-122-30(C) to assume the duties and responsibilities assigned to county governments. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • Department: means the South Carolina Department of Social Services. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fund: means the County Grants Fund for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives created by this chapter. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • Initiative: means a local program or project funded by a county or consortium of counties pursuant to this chapter. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • Long term outcome: means the measurable reduction in the rate of adolescent pregnancy for a specific target population or defined geographic area. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10
  • Short term outcomes: means the intermediate results that a particular adolescent pregnancy prevention intervention is likely to produce including, but not limited to, increased knowledge, behavior change, or delays or reductions in sexual activity. See South Carolina Code 44-122-10

(2) Each initiative must have realistic, specific, and measurable goals, objectives, timelines, and budget for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

(3) The proposal must include a description of the method for collecting and reporting the data required by the department to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative, as specified in § 44-122-60. Each initiative, before submitting its proposal, must send a representative to the evaluation standards workshop sponsored by the department.

(B) Continuation of funding for a local teen pregnancy prevention initiative is contingent upon:

(1) successful evaluation of the effectiveness of the contractor‘s performance in achieving its short term outcomes within the first two years of receiving money and in achieving the fund‘s long term outcome by the end of the third year of receiving money; and

(2) the contractor updating information concerning the nature of the problem in its target population, available resources, and potential barriers to success, with appropriate changes in the initiative’s goals, objectives, timeliness, and budget.

  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 122 Contents