The Madrina Project
This is a report on the results of a federal Special Improvement Project (SIP) Grant for the Yakima, Washington Child Support Office to reach out to the Hispanic community and provide culturally relevant services.
Read MoreExamining Child Support Arrears in California: The Collectibility Study
This report was prepared in response to a mandate from the California State Legislature to analyze how much of the $14.4 billion in child support arrears owed statewide in March 2000 was realistically collectible.
Read MoreDetermining the Composition and Collectibility of Child Support Arrearages: Volume II –the Case Assessment
The second of two reports, this Report examines the history of the non-custodial parent’s (NCP) involvement with the child support program, and reviewed orders calculated using the Washington State child support guidelines, the quality of work performed by the field staff, payment and debt records, and identified NCP barriers to payment.
Read MoreDetermining the Composition and Collectibility of Child Support Arrearages: Volume I – the Longitudinal Analysis
The first of two reports, this Report examines the composition of arrearages and summarizes the findings of the study regarding the correlation between a non-custodial parent’s (NCP) earnings level and the NCP’s accumulated arrearages.
Read MoreState of Washington Joint Agency Collection Project
This report summarizes the results of a federal grant to study ways to assist incarcerated and recently released non-custodial parents (NCP). Three agencies collaborated: the Department of Social and Health Services Division of Child Support, the Employment Security Department, and the Department of Corrections, all of which share a common interest in the success of…
Read MoreGetting Noncustodial Dads Involved in the Lives of Foster Children
This policy brief provides data that suggest that many, if not most, foster care children in the United States were not living with their father at the time they were removed from their home.
Read MoreCost Avoidance and Cost Recovery in California’s Child Support Program: SFY 2000-01
In 2003, the Child Support Directors Association of California contracted with the Urban Institute to develop a cost avoidance estimate for California using the same methodology used for the Office of Child Support Enforcement study. The results of that study are presented here (for state fiscal year 2000-01) and cover the following programs: the California…
Read MoreDeclining Employment among Young Black Less-Educated Men: The Role of Incarceration and Child Support
In this paper, researchers document the continuing decline in employment and labor force participation of black men between the ages of 16 and 34 who have a high school education or less.
Read MoreIncreasing Healthcare Coverage for Children: A New Coordinated Approach Findings from Colorado
This report covers Colorado’s 1115 demonstration grant to try a new approach to increasing the number of IV-D children with health care coverage through private insurance, Medicaid, SCHIP and other sources. The research was conducted by the Division of Child Support Services with the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Read MoreArrears Leveraging Pilot Project: Outcomes Achieved & Lessons Learned
This report evaluates the ALPP, Maryland’s Arrears Leveraging Pilot Project, designed to encourage low-income, non-paying child support obligors to pay their current support by rewarding consistent payment with reduction or elimination of state-owed arrears.
Read MoreThe Intersection of Incarceration & Child Support: A Snapshot of Maryland’s Caseload
This is a report on the population of incarcerated parents with child support cases and arrearages.
Read MoreThe Child Support Program: An Investment that Works
This is a link to a monograph that discusses the financial and non-financial benefits of the child support enforcement program.
Read MoreIn Everybody’s Best Interests: Why Reforming Child Support Distribution Makes Sense for Government and Families
This is a link to a policy brief. Fully implementing distribution reforms and eliminating welfare cost-recovery from the child support program has the potential to boost the income of millions of low-income children. More than $2 billion per year is currently withheld by the government to reimburse welfare costs. This money could be going to…
Read MoreStrategies for Preventing the Accumulation of Child Support Arrears and Managing Existing Arrears: An Update
Many states are changing their policies to reduce the amount of arrears that will accumulate in the future. Several states are also developing programs and approaches to existing cases so that some of the existing debt can be dealt with. The link is to a paper describing some of these state efforts.
Read MoreChild Support Cooperation Requirements and Public Benefits Programs: An Overview of Issues and Recommendations for Change
This is a link to a monograph that explains the child support cooperation requirements in five programs: TANF, Food Stamps, Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and child care.
Read MoreUsing the Internet to Provide Ethnic and Culturally Diverse Populations with High-Quality Child Support Information: The Case of Beehive
The Urban Institute partnered with the One Economy Corporation in applying for a special improvement project (SIP) grant from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to develop high-quality online child support information specifically developed for families in low-income and ethnic and culturally diverse communities. This grant was awarded and used to prepare three…
Read MoreFamilies Left Behind: The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry
This policy brief is intended to help focus attention on the hidden costs of U.S. criminal justice policies.
Read MoreEvaluation of Strategies to Improve Medical Support Enforcement in Washington State
This report looks at the strategies Washington has used to increase the number of children in the child support caseload with access to health insurance. The two primary strategies are establishing a centralized medical support unit, and conducting data matches with insurance companies.
Read MoreProcess Evaluation of the Bright Start Demonstration Program’s Implementation
This report is the process evaluation of Washington’s original three year demonstration grant for Washington’s Bright Start Program which is designed to enhance in-hospital paternity establishment, and offer parents information about marriage, genetic testing, and parenting plans.
Read MoreThe Implementation of the Partners for Fragile Families Demonstration Projects
This report describes the design and implementation of the Partners for Fragile Families (PFF) demonstration projects.
Read MoreChild Support Outcomes of Maryland’s In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Program
This report by the University of Maryland School of Social Work summarizes the research on the impact of Maryland’s voluntary paternity acknowledgment program by looking at the child support caseload and comparing if and how certain child support outcomes differ between children for whom paternity was acknowledged and those for whom it was not.
Read MoreDebtors’ Prison – Prisoners’ Accumulation of Debt as a Barrier to Reentry
This is a link to an article published in the July-August 2007 Journal of Poverty Law and Policy that discusses how unrealistic levels of debt and cost-recovery policies enforced by criminal justice and child support agencies can undermine the criminal justice system’s rehabilitation goals, the child support system’s goals to support children, and society’s interest…
Read MoreAssessing Child Support Arrears in Nine Large States and the Nation
In September 2007, child support arrears that had accumulated across the nation had reached $107 billion. The purpose of this report is to provide information about the individuals who owe child support arrears, estimate how much arrears are likely to be collected, and identify the factors that have led to their rapid growth.
Read MoreColorado Parenting Time/Visitation Project
This is a report on a Colorado demonstration project held in two counties to determine if increased access and visitation led to more engagement of non-custodial parents (NCP) with their children, and the payment of child support. The research was conducted by the Division of Child Support Services with the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Read MoreState Use of Debt Compromise to Reduce Arrearages
This is a report on the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of debt compromise programs used by State child support enforcement (CSE) agencies to reduce child support arrearages.
Read MorePartners for Fragile Families Demonstration Projects: Employment and Child Support Outcomes and Trends
The Partnership for Fragile Families Demonstration projects, operating in 13 sites across the country, provided a range of services aimed at increasing the capacity of young, economically disadvantaged fathers in becoming financial and emotional resources to their children and sought to reduce poverty and welfare dependence. As part of a multi-component evaluation, this report examines…
Read MoreReducing Child Support Default Orders in Colorado
The project explored strategies that child support agencies might use to increase non-custodial parent (NCP) participation in proceedings to establish child support orders and reduce default orders. The research was conducted by the Division of Child Support Services with the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Read MoreThe Potential Impact of Increasing Child Support Payments to TANF Families
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 includes incentives for states to increase the amount of child support that is “passed through” to families on welfare, rather than retained to offset welfare expenditures. Beginning October 1, 2008, the federal government will share in the costs of a $100 per month pass-through for families with one child…
Read MoreDemographic Survey Results from Nine-State IV-D Programs
In FY 2007, the national child support program served 17 million children and collected $25 billion in child support, yet little is known about the underlying demographic and economic characteristics of the individuals served. To remedy this lack of information, Courtland Consulting and the Urban Institute, under contract with the federal Office of Child Support…
Read MoreBankruptcy and Child Support Enforcement: Improved Information Sharing Possible without Routine Data Sharing
The Bankruptcy Abuse and Prevention Act of 2005 required the GAO to study the feasibility of matching bankruptcy records with child support records to assure that filers with child support obligations are identified. This report contains the results of this study.
Read MoreConfronting Child Support Debt: A Baseline Profile of Maryland Arrears
This report provides data on the composition of child support arrearages in Maryland.
Read MoreCalifornia Compromise of Arrears Program Report to State Legislature
In response to a dramatic growth in child support arrears in the 1990’s and a study of the arrears by the Urban Institute, the California Legislature enacted a law allowing compromise of arrears when debt is owed the state. The legislation also required the Department of Child Support Services to report back to the Legislature…
Read MoreEvaluation of the Bright Start Demonstration
This report is the evaluation of Washington’s original three year demonstration grant for Washington’s Bright Start Program, which was designed to enhance in-hospital paternity establishment, and offer parents information about marriage, genetic testing, and parenting plans.
Read MorePreventing Child Support Arrears in Texas by Improving Front-end Processes
In 2003, the Texas Office of Attorney General fundamentally altered the process of establishing child support orders, going from a highly judicial process of establishing orders to a process that establishes most orders administratively. It also substantially improved the issuance of income withholding orders. This report describes the implementation of these reforms and measures their…
Read MoreEarly Intervention & Child Support Outcomes: Lessons Learned
In an effort to reduce the growth of child support arrears balances and boost current support collections, the Office of Child Support Enforcement recommends the adoption of “early intervention” strategies. The goal of early intervention is to engage non-custodial parents in the child support process and develop a relationship with them.
Read MorePartner Up Final Evaluation Report
This report covers a grant received by the Colorado Division of Child Support Enforcement to identify policies that support healthy relationships and marriage. The research was conducted by the Division of Child Support Services with the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Read MoreState Child Support Pass-Through Policies
This is a link to a chart that shows laws enacted by state legislatures through the 2008 legislative session to pass through collected child support to families receiving TANF assistance and to disregard the passed through support income in determining eligibility for and the amount of assistance.
Read MoreNon-custodial Parents: Summaries of Research, Grants, and Practices
This report summarizes past grant and research projects funded by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) focusing on non-custodial parents, and points readers to more comprehensive information.
Read MoreUpdate Evaluation of the Bright Start Demonstration Program
This report is a sequel to the September 2008 report, and provides updated information regarding Washington’s Bright Start Program, which was designed to enhance in-hospital paternity establishment.
Read MoreColorado Early Intervention and Simplified Modification Project
This report covers Colorado’s Section 1115 grant to increase child support payments and reduce arrears through early intervention and modification of support orders in two counties, Denver and Pueblo. The research was conducted by the Division of Child Support Services with the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Read MoreEvaluation of the Bright Start Genetic Testing Program
This is an evaluation of Washington’s 1115 demonstration grant to improve the rates of in-hospital paternity establishment by enhancing relationships with hospital staff, and providing free genetic testing to couples who were uncertain about the child’s paternity or did not want to sign an acknowledgment in the hospital.
Read MoreChild Support Enforcement: Tribal Programs
This report describes the components of tribal Child Support Enforcement (CSE) programs and discusses issues related to jurisdictional matters, paternity establishment, child support enforcement methods, nonpayment problems, and consistency of tribal programs with each other and with state CSE programs
Read MoreWho Pays Child Support in Baltimore City: Noncustodial Parents Payment Compliance
Baltimore City, Maryland’s caseload represents about one-third of Maryland’s child support cases. With such a large caseload, the payment compliance outcomes in Baltimore City affect the overall state outcomes. This brief examines payment compliance specifically in Baltimore City to determine differences from the rest of the state.
Read MoreArrears Stratification in Washington State: Developing Operational Protocols in a Data Mining Environment: Outcome Study
This report to Washington State Child Support Division by ECONorthwest summarizes the results of a grant to Washington State to conduct and study arrears stratification. It includes lessons learned and best practices.
Read MoreThe Underground Economy
The report of a task force led by former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Maura Corrigan to examine the underground economy, and how it deprives minor children of financial support from their parents.
Read MorePromising Antipoverty Strategies for Families
In this paper, researchers review changes in family structure, the relationship between family structure and employment, and early evidence on differential impacts of the recession on families.
Read MoreFinal Report for the E-referral Demonstration: Project Summary, Training Implementation Evaluation, and Final Data Analysis
This report looks at the results of a three-year 1115 grant from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement to the State of Washington to improve electronic referral and data sharing among the child support, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and Medicaid agencies.
Read MoreEvaluation of the $150 Child Support Pass-Through and Disregard Policy in the District of Columbia
In April 2006, the District of Columbia implemented a child support pass-through and disregard policy for families in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload, passing through the first $150 per month of child support paid to these families and disregarding this amount when determining their TANF benefits. This study provides a process evaluation…
Read MoreTossed on a Sea of Change: A Status Update on the Responsible Fatherhood Field
This is a link to an update on fatherhood programs across the nation covering programmatic priorities, funding, and evidence-based practices.
Read MoreThe Families Forward Program: Final Evaluation Report
This is a link to the final evaluation report on a child support debt reduction demonstration program, Families Forward, in Racine County, Wisconsin representing a collaboration among three entities: the Wisconsin Bureau of Child Support, the Racine County Child Support Department, and the Institute for Research on Poverty. The program aimed to reduce child support…
Read MoreThe Noncustodial Parent Employment Program: Employment & Payment Outcomes
This study takes an empirical look at the early outcomes achieved by non-custodial parents who were referred to Maryland’s Noncustodial Parent Employment Program (NPEP), which provides intensive case management and assistance with conducting a job search.
Read MoreDeadbeats, Deadbrokes, and Prisoners
This report examines child support legislation with respect to incarcerated parents, and the policies that parents who are incarcerated are “voluntarily unemployed”, and therefore not eligible for modifications of their child support orders.
Read MoreThe Use of Civil Contempt and Criminal Nonsupport as Child Support Enforcement Tools: A Report on Local Perspectives and the Availability of Data
This is a link to the first of two reports focused on child support and incarceration. Together, these reports will represent a first step in an effort to better understand Wisconsin’s use of two enforcement tools that may result in incarceration: civil (or remedial) contempt and criminal (or punitive) nonsupport.
Read MoreStrengthening families through Stronger Fathers: Final Impact Report for the Pilot Employment Programs
This final report discusses the 2006-2009 pilot employment program implemented by New York for parents behind in their child support. These pilot programs, part of the Strengthening Families Through Stronger Fathers Initiative, provided employment-oriented services, fatherhood/parenting workshops, case management, and other support services to nearly 4,000 parents behind in their child support in four New…
Read MoreNew York Initiative Helps Fathers Increase Their Earnings and Child Support
New York launched a pilot employment program to help parents behind in their child support in four communities between 2006 and 2009. The program was part of the state’s Strengthening Families Through Stronger Fathers Initiative. This policy brief discusses the effect of this initiative on earnings and child support payments.
Read MoreWork-Oriented Programs in Child Support
This PowerPoint presentation describes lessons learned from past efforts to provide work-oriented programs for low-income parents behind in their child support payments.
Read MoreMaryland Child Support Case Stratification Pilot
A case stratification pilot was implemented by five Maryland jurisdictions from November 2010 to April 2011. This report examines the payment outcomes of the child support cases included in this pilot.
Read MoreChild Support Enforcement: Incarceration as the Last Resort Penalty For Nonpayment of Support
Using jail as an option for nonpayment of child support has many implications: Are low-income non-custodial parents who are unable to fulfill their child support obligations penalized for being poor? Should non-custodial parents charged with civil contempt of court be entitled to an attorney? Should non-custodial parents whose only offense is nonpayment of child support…
Read MoreThe New York Noncustodial Parent EITC: Its Impact on Child Support Payments and Employment
In 2006, New York instituted a noncustodial parent earned income tax credit (NCP EITC) to encourage low-income noncustodial parents to work and pay child support. This study examines the credit’s impacts through 2009.
Read MoreHolding Child Support Orders of Incarcerated Payers in Abeyance: Final Evaluation Report
This is a link to the final report of a series completed as part of an evaluation designed to measure the impacts of suspending orders during incarceration on not only arrears at time of release but also on subsequent earnings and child support payments.
Read MoreChild Support Enforcement: $25 Annual User Fee
This report includes a discussion of the user fee mandated by Congress in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, and which of the four implementation options states have selected.
Read MoreChild Wellbeing and Non-custodial Fathers
This report discusses some of the data related to the poverty of children, and recognizes that the structure of a family plays an important role in children’s well-being. According to some estimates, about 50% of children will spend or have spent a significant portion of their childhood in a home without their biological father. This…
Read MoreMedical and Child Support Background and Current Policy
This report describes current federal policy with respect to medical child support, examines the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the child support program, provides a legislative history of medical support provisions in the child support program, and includes state data on medical coverage of children in the child support program.
Read MoreHague Convention Treaty on Recovery of International Child Support and H.R. 1896
This document provides a discussion of the Hague Convention and how it will benefit U.S. children living abroad, as well as foreigners with children living in the United States. The Convention contains procedures for processing international child support cases that are intended to be uniform, simple, efficient, accessible, and cost-free.
Read MoreChild Support Enforcement: Program Basics
This report provides an overview of the key functions of IV-D child support agencies, including some 2012 preliminary data.
Read MoreCharacteristics of Families Served by the Child Support (IV-D) Program: 2010 Census Survey Results
This report uses the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau to describe custodial families served by the IV-D program, a federally mandated program that promotes parental responsibility and family self-sufficiency by providing families with child support services.
Read MoreOverlapping Eligibility and Enrollment: Human Services and Health Programs Under the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created new opportunities for health and human services programs, including child support, to integrate eligibility determination, enrollment, and retention.Using two large microsimulation models, the study found considerable overlaps between expanded eligibility for health coverage and current receipt of human services benefits, particularly with Earned Income Tax Credits, the Supplemental…
Read MoreWho Pays Child Support: Noncustodial Parents’ Payment Compliance
To better understand patterns of noncustodial parent (NCP) payment compliance, this study builds on what has already been documented about the Maryland public child support caseload and provides a first-ever, systematic look at the question of who pays current support, how much they pay, and how this relates to NCPs’ demographic characteristics, employment patterns, and…
Read MoreImputed Income Among NCPs: Characteristics and Payment Outcomes
This report looks at cases with imputed income using a random sample of public (IV-D) child support cases in the Maryland Caseload. The study examines payment outcomes over a two-year period for cases in which noncustodial parent income appears to be imputed. Then, this information is compared to payment outcomes in cases where actual income…
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