One of the most challenging goals for welfare reformers has been improving the collection of child support payments from noncustodial parents, usually fathers. Often vilified as "deadbeats" who have dropped out of their children's lives, these fathers have been the target of largely punitive enforcement policies that give little consideration to the complex circumstances of these men's lives. Fathers' Fair Share presents an alternative to these measures with an in-depth study of the Parents' Fair Share program. A multi-state intervention run by the Manpower Demonstration Research…
Brief
This Policy Brief will summarize the "Children First Child Support Reform Act of 1999" and the "Fathers Count Act of 1999." Although these bills did not become law this legislative session, they are likely to be contended with in similar forms in future sessions. This brief is intended to clarify the actual provisions of each bill in order to facilitate a clear understanding of the specifics in future debates on such provisions. The "Children First Child Support Reform Act of 1999," sponsored by Senator Herb Kohl, was referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance but was not acted on in…
red dot icon
Journal Article This article examines the result of a long-term disregard of the needs of fathers by public policy and social programs. Historically, federal and state laws and welfare regulations have created barriers and disincentives for the involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. Federal assistance for the poor often focused on children and custodial parents, elderly persons, and disabled persons. Able-bodied men, including noncustodial fathers, were not eligible for benefits such as public or subsidized housing, Medicare, or food stamps. These policies lead to situations in which…
Since 1984 policy makers have increasingly turned their attention to reforming the childsupport system. Despite this attention, the child support system has often failed to increase theeconomic security of single-parent families. This article sythesizes findings from recent qualitative studies to explain why the child support system "breaks down" for so many low-income families. This research suggests that parents often prefer informal arrangements of support and do not comply with child support regulations they perceive to be unfair, counterproductive, or punitive. It also suggests that…
Too few poor children who live apart from their fathers can count on their financial support. In 1996, only 30 percent of poor children who lived apart from their dads received child support. That year, welfare reform addressed this hard fact, stepping up efforts to collect child support. But increased child support alone will not be enough; further support, economic incentives, and revised child support policies are needed to enable low-income noncustodial fathers to take financial responsibility for their children.
red dot icon
Journal Article We employed meta-analytic methods to pool information from 63 studies dealing with nonresident fathers and children's well-being. Fathers' payment of child support was positively associated with measures of children's well-being. The frequency of contact with nonresident fathers was not related to child outcomes in general. Two additional dimensions of the father-child relationship--feelings of closeness and authoritative parenting--were positively associated with children's academic success and negatively associated with children's externalizing and internalizing problems. (Author abstract).
Most low-income dads are connected with their children at birth. Contrary to what some may believe, they do want to provide support for their children, although they do not know how to step into the role of financial and emotional provider. Often, these fathers share many of the same characteristics as welfare recipients--poor work history, low levels of literacy, sporadic employment or unemployment. Additionally, many low-income dads have grown up without their own fathers, so they lack true examples of what it means to be a father. There is growing recognition that low-income fathers are in…
