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All individuals had a court order to appear for NCP Choices on a specific day. Evaluators randomly assigned calendar days to be PEER days or comparison group days. Individuals whose court order occurred on a PEER day were assigned to the intervention group, and those whose court order occurred on a comparison day were assigned to the comparison group. The study enrolled 162 people into the intervention group and 168 into the comparison group between June 2010 and January 2011.
The authors report outcomes for participants enrolled in the study between June 2010 and January 2011. Impacts were measured about 6 to 13 months after assignment.
The Texas Office of the Attorney General funded the study.
All noncustodial parents in the study were male. Their average age was between 33 and 34 years old. About two-thirds of participants were Hispanic (68 percent), and one-quarter were Black. Twenty-five percent were employed at the start of the program. In addition, 53 percent had experienced a decrease in earnings of at least 85 percent within the previous two years.
Texas Office of the Attorney General Child Support division and local workforce development boards
The NCP Choices PEER Curriculum Enhancement Pilot is an extension of the NCP Choices program, which began in 2005. This PEER extension began in 2010.
The NCP Choices PEER curriculum enhancement served unemployed or underemployed noncustodial parents whose children were receiving or had received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Medicaid benefits. NCP Choices seeks to increase child support payments and reduce TANF participation among custodial parents by improving employment and earnings outcomes of noncustodial parents; the PEER curriculum enhancement was designed to support these goals. Individuals participated in a number of workshops covering financial responsibility, parenting and co-parenting skills, and financial education. Workshops included multiple intervention group members, a facilitator, and a peer coach. All individuals also received standard NCP Choices services, which included assessments, case management, job search assistance, support services, and employment retention support.
Members of the comparison group received standard NCP Choices services but not the PEER curriculum enhancement.
Participation in PEER was mandated by court orders and people who did not participate nor pay their child support payments could be jailed.
Participants were still receiving services at the time the study was published.
Not known
The pilot was implemented in Hidalgo County, El Paso, and Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX.
Criminal justice, Parenting and co-parenting