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For parents who have court orders to pay child support, the financial outlook may be especially bleak due to COVID-19-related job loss compounded by enforcement of child support orders. If child support orders cannot be modified in a timely manner to reflect job loss, parents can quickly build child support debt and become subject to non-compliance penalties. Changes to current child support practices and policies can improve parents’ ability and willingness to pay support when they recover from the COVID-19 recession.
Fatherhood Summit Session
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nationally, about 80 percent of noncustodial parents (NCPs) are fathers. Programs often need guidance on how to meet the needs of NCPs. In 2018, the Administration for Children and Families released impact findings from Parents and Children Together (PACT), a rigorous study of four Responsible Fatherhood (RF) grantees funded from 2011-2015. This landmark research highlights fatherhood program approaches to engage fathers, encourage responsible parenting, and ultimately, improve outcomes for children.
Drawing upon the PACT study, the panel described…
Fatherhood Summit Session
The child support program plays an important role to help fathers gain access to resources they need to move their families toward self-sufficiency. In this session, state child support staff discussed how they can partner with fatherhood programs to better equip fathers to meet their child support obligations.
Presenters helped dispel myths and negative stereotypes about the child support program. They also described promotional strategies that can counter misleading information about the intent and goal of the child support program.
Presenters showed how child support staff can…
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The National Child Support Strategic Plan for 2015-2019 supports the strategic goals of the Department of Health and Human Services and Administration for Children and Families to promote economic, health, and social well-being for individuals, families, and communities, promote the healthy development and safety of children, and support underserved and underrepresented populations. The national plan reflects the collaborative efforts, major accomplishments, and diverse perspectives of the state, tribal, and county child support programs that, along with the federal Office of Child Support…
This fact sheet highlights outcomes of the Building Assets for Fathers and Families (BAFF) demonstration grant and describes ways that child support agencies and Assets for Independence project staff can collaborate to make asset building strategies available for parents, their children, and other family members. (Author abstract)
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The federal government’s support of fatherhood initiatives raises a wide array of issues. This report briefly examines the role of the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agency in fatherhood programs, discusses initiatives to promote and support father-child interaction outside the parents’ relationship, and talks aboutthe need most see for work-oriented programs that enable noncustodial parents to have the financial ability to meet their child support obligations in a consistent and timely manner. (Author abstract modified)
This final rule strengthens and updates the child support program by amending existing rules, some of which are 35 years old, to:• Set accurate child support obligations based on the noncustodial parents’ ability to pay;• Increase consistent, on-time payments to families;• Move nonpaying cases to paying status;• Increase the number of noncustodial parents supporting their children;• Improve child support collection rates;• Reduce the accumulation of unpaid and uncollectible child support arrearages; and• Incorporate technological advances and evidence-based standards that support good…
The Final Rule: Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs updates guidelines for setting child support orders at 45 CFR 302.56 and the establishment of child support orders at 45 CFR 303.4. This fact sheet discusses specific revisions made to §§ 302.56(a), 302.56(c)(1), and 303.4(b). The goal of these revisions is to increase reliable child support for children by setting child support orders based on the noncustodial parent’s earnings, income, or other evidence of ability to pay. Orders set beyond a parent’s ability to pay can lead to unintended…
As the federal agency responsible for funding and oversight of state child support programs, OCSE has an interest in ensuring that: constitutional principles articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Turner v. Rogers, 564 U.S.___, 131 S Ct. 2507 (2011) are carried out in the child support program; child support case outcomes are just and comply with due process; and enforcement proceedings are cost-effective and in the best interest of the child. The Turner case provides OCSE and state child support agencies with an opportunity to evaluate the appropriate use of civil contempt and to…
The goal of the final rule revisions is to increase consistent child support payments for children by setting child support orders based on the noncustodial parent’s earnings, income, or other evidence of ability to pay, including for incarcerated parents. Children do not benefit when their parents engage in a cycle of nonpayment, underground income generation, and re-incarceration. Support orders modified for incarcerated parents, based on their current ability to pay, result in less debt accrual, more formal employment, more child support payments, and less need for enforcement after they…