dcl9208.htm

Giving Hope and Support to America's Children

Public Affairs Handbook for CSE Program

DC-9208

February 12, 1992

RE:Public Affairs Handbook for the Child Support Enforcement Program.

Dear Colleague:

It has been a number of years since we sent out the Public Affairs Handbook for the Child Support Enforcement Program. While we don't plan to develop another handbook just now, we do want to gather some of the information materials that have been developed in State and local offices into an index of "best practices." You will remember that the 1984 Child Support Enforcement Amendments require State Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Agencies to advertise the services of our program. The "best practices" index should help meet this requirement.

As you may be aware, Census Bureau statistics show that in 1989 10 million women were living with minor children whose fathers were not present in the household. Seven million of these women had not (or did not know that they had) contacted a government agency for assistance in obtaining child support for at least one of their children. About 2.7 million women reportedly wanted and needed child support but had no order requiring the children's father to share financial responsibility for their support. And a recent Women's Legal Defense Fund study revealed a lack of information among low-income custodial parents about the avail-ability of child support services and their legal rights to request financial assistance from the non-custodial parent.

State and local CSE offices have, in instances brought to our attention, taken action to make their programs accessible and "user friendly". CSE offices are promoting early paternity establishment. And we have all seen and heard about good pamphlets, public service announcements, speak outs and posters. It would be very helpful to have copies of the materials you have developed from which we can extract examples to include in our index. This compilation will be sent out as an Information Memorandum and will be updated as needed.

As examples - by no means exclusive - we would like materials from States and/or local offices which are generally made avail-able as well as more specialized products aimed at the following audiences: teen parents, non-AFDC mothers, non-English speaking parents, unwed mothers, non-custodial parents. Also, we are interested in innovative client intake materials, early paternity establishment brochures, materials that encourage a change of public opinion about non-payment of support, material that addresses misconceptions about the program - e.g. that it is only available for people on welfare - or, if you are on welfare noone will work your case.

Please send your materials to Michelle Jefferson, our Information Officer, and please give us the names and telephone numbers of people in your office and/or in local offices that we can contact for further information, if necessary. Michelle can be reached at:

Office of Child Support Enforcement, Public Affairs

370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, 4th Floor

Washington, DC 20447

(202) 401-9373

We will be very grateful for any help that you can provide as we develop this important inventory. Because we are working under a tight schedule, we need to have all materials by March 31 at the latest.

Sincerely,

Allie Page Matthews

Deputy Director

Office of Child Support

Enforcement

cc: ACF Regional Administrators

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