ACF NEWS (3/2/01) - Grants Awarded for Child Support Development Projects

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Pamela Carter
Friday, March 2, 2001	(202) 401-9215

HHS AWARDS GRANTS FOR CHILD SUPPORT

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

The HHS Administration for Children and Families today announced the award of more than $1.2 million in new grants to states, faith-based and non-profit organizations to further advance the performance of the nation146s child support enforcement system. These grants will provide the resources to help States make measurable program improvements. The grants will examine new ways to augment child support enforcement services to increase collections for children and to promote responsible parenthood.

Several grants are designed to help parents involved with the criminal justice system provide more reliable and regular child support for their chidlren. The State of Washington will test methods to increase employment and child support for non-custodial parents who are in the correctional system. This will include collaboration with other state agencies such as the state Department of Corrections and the Department of Employment Security and Workforce Development. Minnesota will work with non-custodial parents who are incarcerated, are unemployed/underemployed or who are low-income to investigate potential means to improve compliance with child support orders. This will include collaboration with the state Department of Corrections. Principal research activities will be conducted in Hennepin County. In the District of Columbia, STRIVE Inc.will demonstrate new methods to increase child support collections through services to unemployed, non-custodial parents on probation or parole.

Four grants are awarded to non-profit and faith-based groups to enhance outreach to the Hispanic/Latino community. In Yakima County, Washington, a grant will determine the barriers to the provision of effective child support service and provide consumer education. Local community leaders, known, as "Madrinas" will provide community outreach and communication on child support services. The United Migrant Opportunities Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will design and test new means to reach out to the Latino/Hispanic community to improve child support services in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin. The Christian Family Gathering, Milwaukee, Wisconsin will provide community outreach that includes involving church members as advocates to assist individuals in need of child support services. In Connecticut, the Women146s Education and Legal Fund will provide child support outreach to the Latino communities in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain and the Willimantic areas. This will include identifying and developing community leaders to provide child support education and advocacy services.

In addition, the National Child Support Enforcement Association received funding to develop a plan for developing standards and implementing a national child support caseworker certification program.

The grant recipients by project area are:

Interstate:

National Center for State Courts

$ 40,000

Services to NCPs:

Washington	$175,000
Minnesota	300,000

Outreach to Hispanics:

Yakima, WA	$150,000
UMOS/Milwaukee	142,626
Christian Family Gathering/Milwaukee	99,895
CT Women's Education & Legal Fund	183,313

Other/Training/Special Studies:

NCSEA	$ 74,900
Strive/DC	75,000

TOTAL: $ 1,240,734

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