CASE EXAMPLE: Kaitlyn, 24, is a singlemother with three children Sean, 2, Shane, 4, and Shannon, 5. Shehas an eleventh grade education, as she dropped out of high schoolto live with Irving, the children’s father.   Irving, 35,had lived with the family for six years until one year ago when heabruptly left without warning. Kaitlyn thought she had beensmelling a woman’s perfume on his clothing for several months priorto his leaving. Although Kaitlyn loved Irving, he had refused tomarry her, maintaining that marriage only ruins the spontaneity ina relationship. One Sunday Kaitlyn came home from visiting hermother and abruptly discovered that Irving had left with all histhings—along with the TV, the DVR, the MP3 player, the blender, hercrock pot, and some jewelry she had inherited from an aunt. At thatpoint she wished she would have gone through with cutting everythird stitch out of the seams holding his trousers together, a planshe had earlier considered after suspecting his infidelity.

Kaitlyn thought she and Irving had been happy. Now Irving isnowhere to be found. His work history involved a series of brieflyheld, part-time unskilled jobs. He has no immediate relatives. Shefeels he would be virtually impossible to track down.

For the past year since Irving disappeared, Kaitlyn was forcedto apply for public assistance and compelled to undergo some jobtraining aimed at placement in a food service setting. She hadrecently gotten a minimum wage job for 35 hours a week as a cook atBoogie’s Burger Heaven. The job would be subsidized by state TANFfunds for the next year. (The intent of such subsidy is toencourage businesses to hire TANF recipients, as what actually cameout of the business’ pockets to pay employees is considerably lessthan minimum wage.) Boogie’s does not provide health insurance forits employees.

Kaitlyn enjoys her work and her fellow employees. She feelsproud of getting back on her feet again and becoming independent.However, there are a few issues about which she has naggingconcerns. First she has to work a lot of nights. Her childrenattend a publicly funded daycare center, but it closes at 8:00 p.m.Sometimes, she’s scheduled to work two nights a week untilmidnight. She then must impose on her neighbors or her mother tobaby-sit. Her mother has arthritis and chronic bronchial problemsso finds it difficult to help out.

A second issue is that Shannon finds daycare really boring andis beginning to manifest some behavioral problems when she’s there.Daycare staff have started to threaten Kaitlyn that if Shannondoesn’t “shape up,” they’ll expel her.

A third concern is that Shane has been diagnosed with Tourette’ssyndrome, “a neurological disorder beginning in childhood ... inwhich stereotyped motor movements (tics) are accompanied bymultiple vocal outbursts that may include grunting or barkingnoises or socially inappropriate words or statements” (Hallahan& Kauffman, 2006, p. 256). Although daycare staff andbaby-sitting neighbors tend to like Shane and tolerate hisincreasingly inappropriate and uncontrollable behavior, Kaitlynthinks they’re beginning to tire of it.   Meanwhile,Kaitlyn is working with medical specialists to administer, monitor,and adapt medications to help control Shane’s tics and outbursts.She has been told this will be a lifelong process.

A fourth issue is that Sean is not yet toilet trained. Kaitlynfinds it impossible to maintain consistency when she is at work sooften and he is in the care of so many different people.

Finally, although Kaitlyn likes her job, she aspires tosomething that would provide her with a better future. She wouldlike to get her GED (general education development, generaleducation diploma, or high school equivalency). Ideally, she wouldprefer to work in a professional office, perhaps as anoptometrist’s assistant or doing something with computers.

Discuss the following questions:

1.        In what ways is TANFhelping Kaitlyn and her family survive?

2.        In what ways is TANFlimiting Kaitlyn’s ability to attain her and her family’s optimalhealth and well-being?

3.        What do you see asKaitlyn’s future problems in view of TANF’s restrictions?

4.        In what ways mightpublic assistance help Kaitlyn become more independent and improveher and her family’s health, well-being, and quality of life?