Title: Analyze legal issues related to parenthood.
Course: GRADS: Family Focus (19905-36) > Section: Evaluating the Cost of Parenthood

Analysis should include

- legal obligations of mother, father, grandparents, schools, and community agencies
- uses for and importance of birth certificates/documentation
- definitions of parentage, child support, visitation, allocation of parental rights and responsibilities
- definitions of guardianship, minor status, and power of attorney
- issues regarding adoption
- resources for obtaining family legal counsel.

Process/Skill Questions

Thinking

- What legal issues might you anticipate as a mother?
- What legal issues might the father anticipate?

Communication

- Why is it important to establish paternity?
- What legal issues might arise regarding grandparents?
- What legal issues are unique to adoption?

Leadership

- Why is it important to be familiar with and understand legal documents?
- Why is it important to understand legal terms that are related to being a parent?
- What are the consequences of not understanding them?

Management

- What are parents' legal responsibilities for meeting the needs of the pregnant and parenting adolescent?
- How can you determine if a resource for legal counsel is reliable?
- What are the school’s legal responsibilities for meeting the educational needs of the pregnant and parenting adolescent?
- What are the community agencies' legal responsibilities for meeting the needs of the pregnant and parenting adolescent?