The Federal Child Support Program Has Strengthened Families for 40 Years – Four Decades, For Children, For Families

Mark GreenbergBy Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary

August is Child Support Awareness Month when we recognize the critical role that child support plays in children’s lives and applaud those parents who provide financial support to their children. 2015 is also the 40th anniversary of the child support program and during those 40 years, ACF’s Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) has partnered with states to collect child support payments that increase family income.

Today, nearly 16 million children receive services from a state or tribal child support program. In fact, 1 in 4 children in the U.S. has an active child support case. The reach and positive impact of timely and consistent child support on the stability and self-sufficiency of these families is critical. All children deserve financial and emotional support from both their parents, whether or not parents are living together.

Over the past 40 years, the child support program has undergone continuous innovation and improvement, including funding and implementing robust, interconnected and secure computer systems that locate parents and their assets and efficiently enforce support obligations. Last year, thanks in part to those innovations, the national child support program distributed $28 billion in child support collections to families. We have also worked to establish and streamline interstate and interjurisdictional child support processes and engage employers in this mission. Over 70 percent of the child support collected is now obtained through payroll deductions. The child support program continues to be one of the most cost-effective government programs, collecting $5.25 in child support for every dollar spent to run the program.

Originally, the federal Child Support Enforcement program began with a principal focus on welfare “cost recovery,” i.e., families receiving cash assistance were required to assign their child support collection rights to government, and most child support recovered was used to reimburse government for public assistance costs. Over time, the role of the child support program has changed dramatically. Today, 95 percent of payments collected through the Child Support Enforcement system are distributed to families and only 5 percent are used to reimburse government for public assistance costs.

Over the past 40 years, families have become more complex and diverse and the labor market has changed in important ways. Today, more than 40 percent of children are born outside of marriage. Most women now work outside the home, and the types of jobs available to less educated workers also have changed. Parents also face an array of challenges that inhibit their ability to pay, including incarceration rates that have quadrupled over the past four decades. To help meet the varied needs of families, the child support program is implementing family-centered strategies that help parents overcome barriers to making timely and consistent payments. For example, a number of states are now integrating employment services for noncustodial parents within their child support program. The program is also increasing opportunities for noncustodial parents to have parenting time with their children.

At ACF, we’re continuing to build on the success of the child support program and listening to stakeholders for innovative ideas to better serve families. Later this year, OCSE will release a Report to Congress reflecting what was heard in listening sessions with stakeholders across the country earlier this year. The report will describe the effectiveness and performance of the program, and identify new tools and approaches that could improve and shape the program in the future.

We thank the thousands of dedicated child support professionals at the county, state, territorial, tribal and federal levels who work every day on behalf of children and families.