The Common Ground project brought together advocates, practitioners, and researchers who work primarily with low-income mothers and fathers, to develop and advance public policy recommendations to promote effective co-parenting relationships and ensure emotional and financial support for children. This first report focuses on issues surrounding the establishment of paternity. It begins by discussing paternity establishment before and after the passage of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the increase of children born to unmarried parents, and…
Only 18 percent of child support cases in Maryland were fully paid during fiscal year 1999. This report describes the importance of child support to child well-being and proposes several policy changes that will improve compliance with support orders. One of the primary reasons for failure to pay is that some fathers, especially African American men, lack income because they are unemployed or underemployed. Existing programs intended to help low-income fathers have not been effective in engaging men. The report recommends a comprehensive strategy that provides employment services as well as…
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 strengthened the enforcement of child support orders through requirements for paternity establishment, uniform state laws, centralized state collection and disbursement offices, penalties for delinquent child support, and model programs to promote visitation. State Child Support Enforcement Programs and local agencies are available to help parents initiate and comply with support orders. This guide explains how the enforcement program can assist with locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, setting-up…
This paper examines the demographic and economic characteristics of single-father families, with particular attention to public transfer receipt. Cohabiting and non-cohabiting single fathers are examined and compared to fathers in married-couple families. Estimates from the 1997 March, Current Population Survey (CPS) are featured. Selected trend data for 1984, 1989, and 1996 are also presented. The analyses show that single fathers earn substantially less than married fathers, have lower household incomes, are less educated, and are substantially more likely to be receiving public transfers.…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which fatherhood programs and state entities can work together to engage fathers. Suggestions include: facilitate collaborative relationships between local service providers and state entities like child support enforcement agencies and court systems; use state institutions as a connection point to refer low-income fathers to help them get jobs; develop a community outreach strategy that helps community providers better understand systemic issues related to child support and visitation; create a liaison that works directly with program providers to coordinate…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which state and local policymakers can engage fathers in a social network. Some suggestions include: Use state institutions' child support and welfare agencies and the courts' access points to connect low-income fathers with services; develop a statewide strategy for service delivery that combines state and local partnerships; develop outcome-based performance measures to assist state agencies to direct efforts toward developing comprehensive fatherhood services; use independent boards or commissions to oversee fatherhood projects; use the budget process to…
This fact sheet proposes ways policymakers can formulate child support guidelines to be father-friendly. Some suggestions include: establish formulas and guidelines that take low income obligors into consideration; ensure that guidelines allow low-income parents enough income to meet their needs after their child support is paid; connect fathers with employment and training opportunities that allow them to obtain employment and develop skills that provide wage advancement opportunities, and establish (or modify) realistic support order amounts; establish child support orders that reflect…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which policymakers can provide guidelines for fatherhood prevention and planning. Some suggestions include: Identify the population you are trying to target--young teens, older teens --to identify whether your message should focus more on abstinence or on a combined message that includes responsible sexual behavior and contraception.; integrate contraception into existing abstinence and sexuality education and STD/HIV prevention education; allow schools to provide accurate information regarding abstinence, sexual behavior, contraception and the risks…
Brief
The rise in single parenthood in the U.S. is well-known. Today, nearly a third of all children born in the United States are born to unmarried parents; the proportions are even higher among poor and minority populations--40 percent among Hispanics and 70 percent among African Americans. Yet, we know very little about these families, particularly about the fathers. Consequently, much of what we read in the newspapers or hear on television about unwed parents is based on anecdotal rather than scientific evidence. This policy brief is intended to dispel three common myths about unwed fathers and…
Brief
This document offers a brief examination of the key policy issues surrounding the EITC and marriage penalties. The EITC is designed to support low income working families with children. It provides a subsidy (up to $3,816 in 1999) for families with children and low earnings. Current research shows that the EITC has been successful in raising the income of such families, increasing rewards/incentives to work among many low skill workers, and in stimulating greater work effort by single parents. (Author abstract).
