Innovations in State Child Support Policy: A Smarter Way to Support Children and Fathers

By James Jones, B.MORE Initiative Coordinator, NTJN

“Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.” – President Barack Obama (Father’s Day 2008)

This Father’s Day, we reflected on the selfless efforts of dads all across the country.  Fathers play a unique and important role in the lives of their children, spouses, and co-parents.  That role, however, can be undermined by stereotypes that relegate the breadth of a father’s contributions solely to provider or family breadwinner—stereotypes that have helped drive policies that marginalize low-income men who are unable to financially support their children and families.

In particular, low-income, noncustodial African American men are often depicted as dead beat dads—a negative narrative that is not supported by any empirical evidence.  The reality is that low-income African American men are often penalized by a web of child support policies and enforcement practices that were designed to collect revenue from noncustodial parents who were financially able, yet sometimes unwilling, to help support their families.  The impact of these “one-size-fits-all” policies is that families at the lowest end of the income spectrum tend to suffer severely.

In keeping with states like Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Wisconsin and others, we encourage state child support enforcement agencies and entities serving low-income noncustodial fathers to implement innovative policies that help fathers meet their obligations while meeting their own basic needs, and help lift families out of poverty by helping parents succeed in employment.   This blog takes a longer look at states that are doing just that—and provides policy recommendations that we hope will help spur  innovation in a greater number of states.

Re-examining Reentry: Transitional Jobs as a Strategic Investment in Individuals, Families, and Communities

When it comes to employment, too many formerly incarcerated individuals find themselves out of a job.  It’s no secret that the United States has seen a recent explosion in its prison population—more than 2 million people in this country are incarcerated, and each year about 700,000 people are released from state prisons back into their communities.  Many of these returning citizens come home to urban neighborhoods with concentrated poverty and an array of social problems. And, as our brief about working with job seekers newly released from prison points out, these folks desperately need paid employment—many reentering individuals can’t afford such basics as clothing, medical treatment, housing, or even food.