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To form the intervention group, the Office of the Attorney General identified 106 noncompliant noncustodial parents with active child support cases in Bexar County, TX who were encouraged by the judge to participate in the NCP Choices Establishment Pilot. The same eligibility criteria for NCP Choices applied: a child support enforcement case associated with a family that was or had been receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Medicaid benefits, with a noncustodial parent who was unemployed or underemployed, was residing in a service area, had a court order from a participating court's jurisdiction, was not medically unable to work, was not currently incarcerated or unable to participate, and had a Social Security number. A matched comparison group (106 people) was identified from among the county's noncustodial parents meeting the same eligibility criteria by using a nearest-neighbor matching process. Each individual in the treatment group was matched to a nontreatment noncustodial parent who was as similar as possible based on several characteristics, including county of residence, age, sex, marital status, race and ethnicity, child support case features and collection history, characteristics of the custodial parent in the case, history of participation in employment programs, and employment and earnings history. Matches were based on the intervention group members' characteristics at the time they entered the NCP Choices Establishment Pilot program. Thirteen people were dropped from each group because of poor matches, bringing the final sample to 93 NCP Choices Establishment Pilot participants and 93 comparison group members.
The pilot began in 2010, and outcomes were measured through July 2011.
Texas Office of the Attorney General and the Texas Workforce Commission
The NCP Choices Establishment Pilot program provided noncustodial parents with access to the same employment and training resources typically reserved for custodial parents receiving TANF, including job-readiness and job search services, supportive services to help them find employment, and training. The program sought to engage unemployed or underemployed noncustodial parents whose children were receiving or had received TANF or Medicaid benefits, with the goal of providing assistance before parents fell behind on child support payments.
The comparison group is composed of noncustodial parents who met the same eligibility requirements and were from the same geographical area but who were not encouraged to enroll in the NCP Choices Establishment Pilot.
None.