Executive Summary

Giving Hope and Support to America's Children

Preliminary Data

Child Access and Visitation Grants:
State Profiles (FY 2004)

Information on:

Parents Served
Services Provided
Linkages to Court, State & Local Service Providers

Prepared by:
Office of Child Support Enforcement
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

June 2005

Section I: Overview
Section II: State Program Trends & Statistical Highlights
Section III: Individual State Profiles & Contact Information
Appendix: State Child Access Program Survey

Section I: Overview

FY 2004 Program Highlights

Nationwide, the combined efforts of states (including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands) administering the “Grants to States for Access and Visitation” Program pushed the number of parents served to over 70,000 in FY 2004. The states accomplished this increase notwithstanding a fixed annual appropriation of $10 million

I. Record Number of Parents Served

In FY 1998, the first year of program implementation, 21 states opted to participate in the program and 20,000 parents were served. In FY 2004, the number of parents served has tripled based on the participation of all of the states except Minnesota.

Factors likely responsible for states’ success in reaching more parents this year include:

decisions made by states to fund parent education services which, by design, are “one time only” and accommodate large numbers of parent participants;
the ability of some states (Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri,and Wisconsin) to leverage additional funds (e.g., state general revenue funds, TANF, etc.) for the Access and Visitation Program which, in turn, enabled them to serve greater numbers of parents;
the established practice among states of funding grantees that have a proven track record in providing effective child access and visitation services; and
an additional year's experience in collecting data on the survey that had been revised for use beginning April 2003.

It is also clear that, in FY 2004, states were better able to collect data on the number of children whose parents benefited from access and visitation services. When the current survey was revised and approved in April, 2003, states were only able to collect information on this new data element for six months out of the fiscal year (April – September 30, 2003). In FY 2004, states had the benefit of collecting data on children whose parents received access and visitation services for the entire fiscal year which explains why nearly 80,000 children were reported in FY 2004 as compared to 50,000 children in FY 2003.

II. Nearly Equal Number of Fathers and Mothers Served

Similar to the data reported in FY 2003, a nearly equal number of mothers (35,217) and fathers (32,906) participated in state-administered access and visitation programs in FY 2004.

III. Efforts Focused on Unmet Access Needs of Unmarried Parents

Approximately 40% of parents served in FY 2004 were unmarried parents. In addition, divorced parents constitute 28% of parents served; 19% of parents were separated; and 13% reported they were married to one another.

IV. Majority of Parents Served Are Low-Income

The majority of parents served earned less than $20,000. Based on the race/ethnicity data reported by states, over 61% of parents served were white; 16% were African-American; 12% were Hispanic; 2% American Indian/Native Alaskan; less than 1% were Asian-American/Pacific Islander; 2% were defined by parents as “other”; and 6% unknown (data was not reported).

V. Nationwide, States Deliver a Range of Access/Visitation Services

States determine the type of service(s) to be provided which may include services defined in the legislation authorizing this grant program (i.e., mediation; counseling; parent education; development of parenting plans; visitation enforcement including supervised visitation and/or neutral drop-off and pick-up; and development of guidelines for visitation and alternative custody arrangements). All services must be related to the overall goal of the program which is to “…enable states to establish and administer programs to support and facilitate non-custodial parents’ access to and visitation of their children…”.

The majority of states provide more than one service and, in many instances, parents are recipients of more than one service. The number of parents reported to receive each service type are:

Mediation

40 States
12,522 parents
Counseling

28 States

6,705 parents
Parent Education

42 States

37,621 parents
Parenting Plans

41 States

9,350 parents
Visitation Enforcement
- supervised visitation
  
  40 States
  
  15,510 parents
- neutral drop-off/pick-up
  
  37 States
  
  6,456 parents

It is important to note that parents are counted once per service and the amount of time or service hours devoted to that parent(s) is not collected through the current program survey.

For example, parent education yields high numbers of parents because it usually entails a one-time-only participation of mothers or fathers in a 2-4 hour seminar. Supervised visitation, on the other end of the spectrum, is considered a time-intensive service that a non-custodial parent utilizes continuously over a period of time usually determined by the court.

VI. Access Services Result in Increased Parenting Time with Children

In FY 2004, approximately 32,906 fathers received access and visitation services. States report that 18,323 non-custodial parents (NCPs) were able to obtain increased parenting time with their children.

VII. Court Primary Source of Parent Referrals to Access Services

Courts continue to be the primary source of parent referrals (30,000) to access and visitation services although child support agencies made significant strides by tripling the number of parent referrals from the previous year (3,600 in FY 2003 vs. 14,300 in FY 2004).

VIII. Local Service Providers

In FY 2004, States contracted with an estimated 300 court and/or community-based, non-profit service providers for the delivery of access and visitation services.

IX. Funding by State

ACCESS AND VISITATION GRANTS:

Federal Allocations & State Match

State	Federal Allocation	State Share	Total Funding
Alabama	146,610	16,290	162,899
Alaska	100,000	11,111	111,111
Arizona	154,416	17,157	171,574
Arkansas	100,000	11,111	111,111
California	970,431	107,826	1,078,257
Colorado	119,443	13,271	132,715
Connecticut	100,000	11,111	111,111
Delaware	100,000	11,111	111,111
District of Columbia	100,000	11,111	111,111
Florida	485,954	53,995	539,949
Georgia	274,295	30,477	304,773
Guam	100,000		100,000
Hawaii	100,000	11,111	111,111
Idaho	100,000	11,111	111,111
Illinois	345,253	38,361	383,615
Indiana	182,299	20,255	202,555
Iowa	100,000	11,111	111,111
Kansas	100,000	11,111	111,111
Kentucky	121,519	13,502	135,021
Louisiana	170,393	18,933	189,325
Maine	100,000	11,111	111,111
Maryland	172,830	19,203	192,034
Massachusetts	172,640	19,182	191,822
Michigan	312,971	34,775	347,746
Minnesota	128,014	14,224	142,238
Mississippi	111,014	12,335	123,349
Missouri	174,425	19,381	193,806
Montana	100,000	11,111	111,111
Nebraska	100,000	11,111	111,111
Nevada	100,000	11,111	111,111
New Hampshire	100,000	11,111	111,111
New Jersey	214,698	23,855	238,553
New Mexico	100,000	11,111	111,111
New York	606,330	67,370	673,700
North Carolina	248,098	27,566	275,664
North Dakota	100,000	11,111	111,111
Ohio	356,353	39,595	395,948
Oklahoma	105,956	11,773	117,729
Oregon	100,000	11,111	111,111
Pennsylvania	333,852	37,095	370,946
Puerto Rico	128,481	14,276	142,757
Rhode Island	100,000	11,111	111,111
South Carolina	138,905	15,434	154,339
South Dakota	100,000	11,111	111,111
Tennessee	179,100	19,900	198,999
Texas	621,404	69,045	690,449
Utah	100,000	11,111	111,111
Vermont	100,000	11,111	111,111
Virgin Islands	100,000		100,000
Virginia	203,537	22,615	226,152
Washington	172,933	19,215	192,148
West Virginia	100,000	11,111	111,111
Wisconsin	147,846	16,427	164,273
Wyoming	100,000	11,111	111,111
TOTAL	$10,000,000	$1,088,889	$11,088,889

Background Information

Designated State Agencies:

In 1996, Governors determined the state agency that would be responsible for administering the Access and Visitation Grant Program. To date, the majority of state access and visitation programs are managed by either the State Offices of the Court or State Child Support Agencies.

Designated Federal Agency:

The Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is officially responsible for managing this grant program.

Staff Contacts:

Myles Schlank, Branch Chief
Program Development
Office of Child Support Enforcement
Administration for Children and Families, HHS
370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W.
4^th Floor
Washington, DC 20447
E-mail: mschlank@acf.hhs.gov

Debra Pontisso, Program Manager
Access and Visitation Grant
Office of Child Support Enforcement
Administration for Children and Families, HHS
370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W.
4^th Floor
Washington, DC 20447
E-mail: dpontisso@acf.hhs.gov

Enabling Legislation:

The “Grants to States for Access and Visitation” Program (42 U.S.C. 669b) was authorized by Congress through passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The goal of the program is to:

"...enable states to establish and administer programs to support and facilitate non-custodial parents' access to and visitation of their children..."

States are directed to accomplish this goal through the provision of services including, but not limited to:

1. mediation (mandatory and voluntary);

2. counseling;

3. education (e.g., parent education);

4. development of parenting plans;

5. visitation enforcement (including monitored supervision and neutral drop-off/pick-up); and

6. development of guidelines for visitation and alternative custody arrangements.

Important Note:

This is a formula grant program. It is up to the discretion of the state to decide what services to provide, organizations to be funded, geographic areas to be covered, and persons to be served.

Annual Funding:

$10 million appropriated each year by Congress

Funding Formula:

“The allotment of a state for a fiscal year is the amount that bears the same ratio to $10,000,000 for grants under this section for the fiscal year as the number of children in the state living with only 1 biological parent bears to the total number of such children in all states.”

Minimum Annual State Allotment: $100,000

Ensures that states with small populations (i.e., single parent households of minor age children) are guaranteed a base amount; those states with larger populations are awarded an allotment according to the prescribed funding formula.

Required State Match:

States are required, by law, to provide a minimum 10% match of the Federal grant amount. This match requirement can be fulfilled via cash or in-kind contributions by the state and/or local grantees.

State Reporting Requirements:

The enabling legislation requires states to monitor, evaluate, and report on services funded through the Access and Visitation Grant Program. This statutory requirement is satisfied through the annual completion – by States – of the “State Child Access Program Survey” (see Appendix) which includes:

1. state agency contact information;

2. services funded;

3. provider agency contact information;

4. number of parents served;

5. socio-economic and demographic information on families served; and

6. outcome data (i.e., number of parents whose parenting time with children increased as a result of services).

Disclaimer

This preliminary data report is based on data submitted by states.

A Guide to Understanding the Data

This information is provided to assist the reader in understanding the FY 2004 State Program Statistics contained in “Section III: Individual State Profiles and Contact Information” of this report.

Parents Served:
Total number served

Service Data:
Number of parents receiving services by service type; the sum of all parents served could exceed the total number of parents served by the state if parents received more than one service.

Definition of Services:

Mediation:
could include, but is not limited to, court-connected or community-based services involving professionals (certified and trained as family mediators) who meet with both parents to: a) resolve parenting disputes; b) develop a parenting plan and visitation agreement; and c) to increase non-custodial parenting time with children.

Counseling:
could include, but is not limited to, services provided by mental health professionals who help parents work through their inter-personal conflicts by focusing on the best interests of the child.

Parent Education:
could include, but is not limited to, seminars or classes for providing custodial and non-custodial parents with information on a range of issues, such as: a) adverse consequences of divorce and parental conflict on children; b) benefits of co-parenting; c) state custody and visitation guidelines; d) court procedures for filing a motion for visitation; and e) importance of developing a parenting plan, etc.

Development of Parenting Plans:
could include, but is not limited to, the development of formal or informal parenting plans or parenting agreements through services other than mediation which increase non-custodial parenting time with children and/or which reduce parental conflict over issues related to child access and visitation. Plans may or may not be filed with the court dependent upon the wishes of the parents.

Visitation Enforcement Services

Supervised Visitation:
could include, but is not limited to, monitored, therapeutic, and supervised visitation services for non-custodial parents – usually ordered by the court – who would otherwise be denied access to their children. These services are provided by trained and certified mental health professionals, for the most part, at a safe and secure setting.

Neutral Drop-Off/Pick-Up:
could include, but is not limited to, services for high-conflict parents and their children in a neutral environment for the safe exchange of a child from one parent to another. These services are often available through community and faith-based organizations and/or supervised visitation centers.

Marital Status:
marital status between biological parents only

Annual Income & Race/Ethnicity:
self-explanatory

Source of Client Referrals:
explains how parents were referred to access and visitation services funded through this program

Outcome: “Increase in NCP Parenting Time with Children”
the number of non-custodial mothers or fathers who obtain an increase in parenting time (hourly, daily, weekly monthly, and/or annually) with their children compared to time spent with their children prior to receiving access and visitation services

“Unknown” data category:
state did not collect and/or report data

Local Service Providers:
Sub-grantees providing access and visitation services