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At intake, child support staff at local child support agencies screened noncustodial parents to determine if they met eligibility requirements. Eligible people were those already being served by the child support program that had established paternity. To be eligible, participants could not be paying child support regularly or had to be at risk of not paying child support because of lack of steady employment. Additional eligibility criteria varied by grantee. After confirming eligibility, staff obtained consent, collected baseline data, and randomly assigned each person. Random assignment occurred by grantee to ensure an equal number of intervention and comparison group members within and across grantees. Staff conducted random assignment from the last quarter of 2013 to September 2016. The analytic sample contained 10,161 people: 5,086 in the intervention group and 5,075 in the comparison group.
Random assignment began in the fourth quarter of 2013 and ended on September 30, 2016. The study followed people for two years.
Office of Child Support Enforcement, ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
All participants were noncustodial parents. Most (90 percent) were male, and the average age was about 35. Forty percent of participants were Black, 33 percent were White, and 22 percent were Hispanic or Latino of any race. About one-quarter lacked a high school diploma or equivalent certificate, whereas 32 percent had at least some postsecondary education (including a vocational diploma). About one-third (32 percent) were in compliance with their child support orders in the year before random assignment. Average earnings in the year before random assignment were around $8,000.
Local child support agencies and their partners
The program was a demonstration launched in 2012 by the Office of Child Support Enforcement in ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, using authority under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act.
The CSPED provided noncustodial parents with case management, parenting classes, domestic violence services, enhanced child support services, and employment services. Programs were required to provide 16 hours of parenting classes with peer support that covered personal development, responsible fatherhood, parenting skills, relationship skills, and domestic violence. Domestic violence services included screening, assessments, and referrals. Enhanced child support services included expedited review of child support orders, order modifications, reductions in arrears owed to the state, and temporary suspension of the use of some enforcement tools. For employment services, programs were required to provide job search assistance; job readiness training; and assistance with job placement, job retention, and rapid reemployment following job loss. Programs were also encouraged, though not required, to provide job skills training, vocational training, education related to employment, and supportive services. Most services were provided in the year following random assignment.
The comparison group received regular child support services.
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Participants received nearly all CSPED services within 12 months, with most occurring in the first 6 months.
Office of Child Support Enforcement, ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
CSPED was implemented at 18 sites across 8 states: California, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Each site was led by a child support agency and included partnerships with employment and parenting service providers. The type of facility where participants received services varied by site.
Child support orders, compliance, and payments; parenting attitudes and skills; criminal justice system involvement; emotional well-being; and economic hardship