Promising Innovations and Pilots in the Child Support Field
The design of the child support program fails parents who are willing but unable to pay support. Several states have implemented innovative programs designed to address this issue. Highlighted programs include the San Francisco Child Support Debt Relief Pilot, Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services – Texas Start Smart, Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (CSPED) Evaluation, Colorado’s Department of Human Services’ Division of Child Support Service Two-Generation Approach, and the Families Forward Demonstration Grant.
Read MoreTools for Better Practices and Better Outcomes: The Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS) Project
he federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) funded the Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS)demonstration grant to explore the application of behavioral science principles to operational challenges in child support services. This report summarizes the outcomes and lessons learned from each intervention. The eight grantees implemented interventions designed to address barriers to the…
Read MoreMeetings and Reminders Testing Approaches to Increase Child Support Payments in Colorado
A long-standing issue in the child support program is the lag time between order entry and the first child support payment. It can be attributed to the wait in getting income withholding in place. Many parents don’t realize that not paying during this window can build up arrears. The Colorado Division of Child Support Services…
Read MoreA Better Resolution Reaching Child Support Agreements Between Parents in Vermont
This article describes the state of Vermont’s project to increase parent participation in the establishment and modification of orders using behavioral intervention techniques. Vermont received fund through the Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS) grant for this project. The project had two goals: increase parent participation during establishment and modification and to increase the…
Read MorePersonalized Outreach Testing Early Parent Engagement in Washington’s Child Support Program
The state of Washington applied Behavioral Intervention techniques to see if it could raise parental engagement in the order establishment process. Data showed that a high number of new orders were set by default, without parent involvement, and that the payments received in the first six months of these orders were minimal. Washington designed an…
Read MoreStreamline or Specialize: Increasing Child Support Order Modification Review Completion in Ohio
Two counties in Ohio, Cuyahoga and Franklin, used behavioral strategies to raise the number of parents completing the modification review process. Using the existing method, parents were requesting a review of their support order but weren’t completing the process. These two counties designed interventions that would increase the number of completed requests.
Read MoreExplainers and Case Managers: Engaging California Parents During Child Support Order Establishment
Two California counties used Behavioral Intervention strategies to reduce the number of default child support orders. Parents in California were being served for paternity cases with a service complaint packet, which contained long and confusing documents. The counties were finding that most parents didn’t respond to service, which led to default orders.
Read MoreStart Smart: Using Behavioral Strategies to Increase Initial Child Support Payments in Texas
As a recipient of the Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS) grant, the Texas Office of the Attorney General implemented a project designed to increase the number of child support payments made during the first three months after order entry. For most cases, it takes about this amount of time for income withholding to…
Read MoreNudges for Child Support: Applying Behavioral Insights to Increase Collections
The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project, sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and led by MDRC, uses a behavioral economics lens to examine programs that serve poor and vulnerable families in the…
Read MoreBehavioral Intervention Materials Compendium
The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project team, led by MDRC and sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) of the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, partnered with eight state and local agencies to design and implement 15 behavioral interventions, involving close…
Read MoreNudging Changes in Human Services: Final Report of the BIAS Project
This is the final report (2017-23) of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project conducted by MRDC under a contract with the federal Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in which 15 state and local agencies participated. The project consisted of identifying problems that are appropriate for behavioral interventions, designing interventions, and conducting…
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