241.86 MENTORING GRANT FOR CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS.

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Subdivision 1. Mentoring grant.

The commissioner of corrections shall award a grant to nonprofit organizations that provide one-to-one mentoring relationships to youth enrolled between the ages of seven to 13 whose parent or other significant family member is incarcerated in a county workhouse, county jail, state prison, or other type of correctional facility or is subject to correctional supervision. The intent of the grant is to provide children with adult mentors to strengthen developmental outcomes, including enhanced self-confidence and esteem; improved academic performance; and improved relationships with peers, family, and other adults that may prevent them from entering the juvenile justice system.

Subd. 2. Grant criteria.

As a condition of receiving grants, the grant recipients shall do the following:

(1)collaborate with other organizations that have a demonstrated history of providing services to youth and families in disadvantaged situations;

(2)implement procedures to ensure that 100 percent of the mentors pose no safety risk to the child and have the skills to participate in a mentoring relationship;

(3)provide enhanced training to mentors focusing on asset building and family dynamics when a parent is incarcerated; and

(4)provide an individual family plan and aftercare.

Subd. 3. Program evaluation.

Grant recipients shall submit an evaluation plan to the commissioner delineating the program and student outcome goals and activities implemented to achieve the stated outcomes. The goals must be clearly stated and measurable. Grant recipients shall collect, analyze, and report on participation and outcome data that enable the department to verify that the program goals were met.