Child Support Report XXIII, No. 5, May 2001

Child Support Report

Vol. XXIII, No. 5, May 2001

Child Support Report is a publication of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Division of Consumer Services.

CSR is published for information purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, or individual by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Child Support Enforcement is intended or should be inferred.

Testing Alternative Methods of Long Arm Service of Process in Florida

Living Conditions of Children

A Census Bureau Profile of the Nation's Women

Some Findings From U.S. Population Profile

OCSE Training Needs Assessment

Maryland Paternity Opportunity Program Provides Opportunities for Welfare-to-Work Recipients

Iowa's Process Improvement Teams

Marriage Found to be Beneficial to Children

Effective Date for Final Rule on National Medical Support Notice

California, Florida, Michigan Faith-Based Initiatives

HHS Blueprint for New Beginnings

OCSE to Hold Child Support Research Conference

Testing Alternative Methods of Long Arm Service of Process in Florida

Velva Knapp

In September 1999, Florida was awarded a Special Improvement Project Grant from OCSE to test alternative methods of long arm service of process. The study included a total of 638 cases with an equal number of cases being forwarded to the private vendor and to an out-of-state sheriff. The goal was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of using a private vendor compared to the more traditional approach of using an out-of-state sheriff.

The study team used demographics consistent with Florida's population and also took into consideration other demographics such as urban/rural and public assistance/nonassistance to ensure that the project results could be replicated by other child support programs nationwide. The cases handled by the vendor and the sheriff also contained similar location information.

Florida's comparative study demonstrated in this instance that using a private vendor represented the most cost-effective and efficient approach to long-arm service of process.

The study looked at three key performance measures: the length of time it took for the process server to send a return of service form to the child support contract attorney or to the CSE service center; the cost associated with each type of process server; and whether service of process was successful.

Findings

Length of time for service: Cases assigned to both groups came back in approximately 67 days, but there was an advantage in using the private vendor. The CSE worker had access to the vendor's secure web site and could monitor the vendor's progress on an almost real-time basis. In most cases involving the out-of-state sheriff, the CSE worker had to wait until receipt of the returned service of process form to determine status.

Cost: The study showed that it was more expensive to use a private process server than a sheriff in another state, although the vendor's higher cost was offset by a better rate of success.

Success: The private vendor achieved an 11 percent higher success rate than the sheriff. This higher rate of success, when used to project the increased collections that could result, justifies the initial increased costs of using a private vendor. (Cost comparisons took into account the level of convenience that is provided by use of a private vendor.)

There are, for example, potential savings in staff time, long distance charges, and mail expense. Consequently, it became necessary to calculate a dollar value for these factors and add them to the overall cost of using out-of-state sheriffs' offices.

The study also found that the private vendor statistically outperformed the out-of-state sheriff, regardless of whether the service of process was easy or difficult to achieve.

"Easy" cases were those in which the custodial parent was not on public assistance and a telephone number and employer address were available for the noncustodial parent when service of process was requested. The vendor was successful 79 percent of the time in these cases, compared to 71 percent of the time for the sheriff.

For "hard" cases (no public assistance, telephone number, or employer address), the vendor was successful 56 percent of the time, compared to 45 percent for the sheriff.

In the end, after controlling for potential bias, Florida's comparative study demonstrated in this instance that using a private vendor represented the most cost-effective and efficient approach to long-arm service of process. If you would like more information about this study, contact Velva Knapp at (850) 410-3244.

Velva Knapp is Program Administrator, Florida Department of Revenue.

Living Conditions of Children

Children Living with Both Biological Parents

The proportion of children living in a traditional nuclear family with their biological mother and father increased from 51 percent in 1991 to 56 percent in 1996. The nuclear family is defined as one that has a mother and a father and their biological children, without any other people in the household.

Living with Stepparents or Adoptive Parents

In 1996, 5.2 million children lived with one biological parent and either a stepparent or adoptive parent, up from 4.5 million in 1991.

Altogether in 1996, 71 percent of children lived in two-parent households, either with their biological parents or with stepparents or adoptive parents.

Living Only With Their Father

In 1996, 3 percent of children lived only with their father.

Living with Neither Parent

In 1996, 4 percent of children lived with neither parent.

Living with Grandparents

In 1996, about 6 percent of all children (4.1 million) lived in a household with one or both of their grandparents.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1996 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

A Census Bureau Profile of the Nation's Women

Marriage

Last year, about one-half of women 15 years and over (51 percent) were married and living with their spouse; 25 percent had never married; 13 percent were divorced or separated; and 10 percent were widowed.

Education

Twenty-four percent of women hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Among women age 25 to 29, 30 percent have at least a bachelor's degree. Eighty-four percent of women age 25 and over have a high school diploma.

Employment

The majority of women (61 percent) 16 years and over were in the civilian labor force. About 6 in 10 (58 percent) of employed women age 16 and over worked in administrative support, including clerical (24 percent), professional specialty (18 percent), and service jobs-except private household-(16 percent). About 14 percent (1 in 7) of employed women worked in executive, administrative, or managerial occupations.

Earnings

The median earnings of women 15 years and over who worked full time, year-round in 1999 was $26,300, which was 72 percent of the median earnings of their male counterparts ($36,500).

Percentage of Population

In the United States, females outnumber males, according to 2000 estimates, by 6 million, 140 million to 134 million. The ratio of males to females declines with age. In 2000, the male-to-female ratio was 105 males for every 100 females for the population under age 20. This drops to 98 males for every 100 women for ages 20 to 44; 95 for ages 45 to 54; 91 for ages 55 to 64; 83 for ages 65 to 74; 70 for ages 75 to 84; and 50 for ages 85 and over.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Some Findings From U.S. Population Profile

Children in Two-Parent Families Fare Better

Children in two-parent families fare better developmentally than children in single-parent families, according to a recent study based on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Among the problems associated with children of single parents are low measures of academic achievement, increased likelihood of dropping out of high school, and early childbearing.

Diminished contact with the noncustodial parent can result in a loss of emotional support and supervision from adults. Children in single parent families generally have a lower economic standard of living and more frequently participate in government assistance programs than do children from two-parent families. The SIPP indicates that all of these circumstances have a cumulative effect on the way children grow up and how prepared they are for young adulthood.

Custodial Parent Employment

More custodial parents worked, and participation in public programs declined. Between 1993 and 1997, the Current Population Survey (CPS) found that the proportion of custodial parents employed in full-time, year-round jobs increased from 46 percent to 51 percent. At the same time the proportion participating in at least one public assistance program declined from 41 percent to 34 percent. Mothers with infants were almost twice as likely to be in the labor force in 1998 as they were in 1976.

Receipt of Child Support Payments

In 1997, more custodial parents were receiving full payments and fewer received partial payments, according to the CPS. Of the 7.9 million parents with child support agreements or awards, about 7 million were due payments in 1997. Of these, about two-thirds reported receiving either part or full payment, statistically unchanged from 1993. However, the proportion of custodial parents receiving all payments they were due increased from 35 percent to 41 percent, while those receiving partial payments fell from 35 percent to 27 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Profile of the United States."

OCSE Training Needs Assessment

OCSE's National CSE Training Work Group and Technical Assistance Work Group recently collaborated to design a needs assessment instrument, which was disseminated to the state child support programs by the National Council of Child Support Directors.

The purpose of the 2001 Needs Assessment was to determine what types of problems the states are having with program issues, and what types of training /technical assistance (T/TA) they want OCSE to provide. Of the 54 jurisdictions that administer the CSE program, 40 responded to the assessment.

Ted White, an attorney with the Texas Child Support Division and Co-Chair of the National CSE Training Work Group, volunteered to develop a database that categorized the information and collated responses. The results of the 2001 Needs Assessment indicate concerns by states in five major incentive areas: paternity establishment, order establishment, current collections, collections on arrears, and cost effectiveness.

To refine state T/TA needs in these areas, Needs Assessment Follow Up Teams, consisting of both state and federal CSE staff, were established to:

Clarify and follow up on specific training and technical assistance needs that states indicated OCSE could assist with through the provision of T/TA; and
Develop preliminary national T/TA options and/or recommendations for OCSE consideration.

Although policy issues will be noted as they arise, the groups' focus will be on developing T/TA approaches to address the states' specific concerns and requests.

Through the Follow Up Teams, OCSE also expects to discover if states are using existing T/TA products that are available through OCSE to meet ongoing state needs. Presently, OCSE is examining ways to market and promote existing T/TA material. For example, OCSE designed and developed a self-instructional computer based training course titled Interstate Case Processing/UIFSA, and provides hands on guidance for corrective action planning and statistical sampling in self-assessment.

A final report will incorporate the Follow Up Teams' recommendations, will be shared with the child support enforcement community at large, and will be posted on the National Electronic Child Support Resource System.

For more information contact Charlene Butler at (202) 401-5091 or Myles Schlank at (202) 401-9329.

Maryland Paternity Opportunity Program Provides Opportunities for Welfare-to-Work Recipients

In September, 1998 the Maryland Child Support Enforcement Administration received a federal Special Improvement Project (SIP) grant for a project titled the "Paternity Opportunity Program" (POP). The objectives of the project were to increase the number and percentage of in-hospital paternity affidavits signed and to provide work opportunities for four recipients of Maryland's Welfare-to-Work program, in which participants learn how to write a resume, look for a job, and interview.

Six candidates (5 women and 1 man) were selected for the POP program, though only four worked at any one time. After selection, the individuals were trained in the areas of child support, paternity establishment, and professional conduct. The University of Maryland School of Social Work provided child support training through a child support 101 course. The Baltimore City Department of Social Services provided customer relations and professional conduct training, including learning how to maintain a job and how to be an effective employee. The Maryland Child Support Administration provided paternity establishment training.

The POP participants did very well and demonstrated a sense of pride and responsibility in their work.

To give participants a variety of experiences, work assignments included Mercy Medical System, Harbor Hospital, Maryland General, Sinai, Prince George's County, Holy Cross, the University of Maryland Medical System, and Johns Hopkins. Upon completion of the project, three of the six POP participants were offered full-time positions. The number and percentage of in-hospital paternity affidavits signed while POP participants were employed increased, but not significantly.

There were some problems with POP participants' job-related behavior, leading project staff to recommend additional up-front training in professional conduct and job maintenance skills. One participant tested positively for drugs and was dismissed from the program.

In addition, after an initial good beginning, some employees began to arrive late to work and to leave early without notifying their supervisors (supervisors were not on site regularly). This was corrected when supervisors discussed the importance of work schedules with the participants and began to make additional site visits.

Overall, however, the POP participants did very well and demonstrated a sense of pride and responsibility in their work.

If you would like more information about this SIP project, contact Wanda Levenson at (410) 767-8842.

Iowa's Process Improvement Teams

In 1996, to meet the goals established in the Bureau's strategic plan, Iowa's child support program management began to put into practice one of the principles learned in earlier Quality Improvement Training: statewide process improvement teams.

Goals included raising the percentage of cases with established orders from 72 percent to 90 percent by the year 2000, fully implementing welfare reform in all the agency's processes, and significantly improving customer service ratings.

To meet these goals, the process improvement teams needed to address several issues: lack of uniformity among the State's regional offices, inadequate communication and information sharing, unclear performance expectations, inconsistent productivity, and automated systems. Thirteen Policy Improvement Teams (or "PIT Crews") were established, each specializing in one of the following processes:

Case set-up;
Interstate;
Income withholding;
Special enforcement (all enforcement methods other than income withholding);
PC team - system development;
Medical support;
Review and adjustment;
Establishment (including paternity);
Customer service and case resolution;
Legal (identified issues that didn't fall within a process, such as forms);
Guidelines (use and interpretation of Iowa's child support guidelines);
Leadership (supervisors or managers) and
Special projects (everything left over, such as mail).

Each team consisted of two field staff, a supervisor, an attorney, a policy representative from central office and one of the three regional project managers. Members serve for at least a year but no more than three years. Teams set their own meeting schedules. Field staff who perform a specific team task (e.g., case set-up) are considered members of the larger statewide process team and can provide input to the corresponding PIT Crew.

A group of Regional Project Managers (originally one but now two from each region) provides oversight and facilitates the teams' work, maintaining liaison between their assigned teams and agency management.

In addition, the Regional Project Managers train teams, see that they meet regularly, track their work, and provide facilitation and direction as needed.

Customer satisfaction surveys show improved customer relations.

The Process Improvement Teams have provided help in a variety of areas, including:

Reducing the backlog of policy issues that needed to be addressed. Solutions were submitted via "process improvement forms" for management approval;
Identifying best practices for each process, including developing linkages to supporting resources;
Assisting with system certification by developing new computer screens and reviewing systems development in their process area;
Developing a centralized customer service unit; and
Identifying training needs.

Results

The agency met its statewide goal of 90 percent of cases in court-ordered status by the end of 2000;
Customer satisfaction surveys show improved customer relations; and
Members of the PIT Crews have improved their program knowledge, and their leadership and communication skills.

Funding

Set-up costs were $30,000 (facility rent, trainer fees, travel expenses, and supplies). The annual cost of the ongoing program is about $200,000.

Replication Advice

Says Rebecca Seyffer, Regional Project Manager for the Child Support Recovery Unit, "Make sure managers block out time for staff to participate in teams. Reduce their workload at home if they are devoting a lot of time to the team."

For more information, contact Rebecca Seyffer at (319) 388-5524.

Rebecca S. Seyffer is Regional Project Manager, Child Support Recovery Unit, Davenport Iowa.

Correction: In April's CSR the URL address for review of the two web-based courses should have been: http://ocse.acf.dhhs.gov/necsrspub/training/index..html

Marriage Found to be Beneficial to Children

Research shows that childbearing outside of marriage can have serious consequences for children. Children born to unmarried mothers, regardless of the mother's age, are more likely to be poor, to experience more changes in living situations, and to have academic and behavior problems.

Childbearing outside of marriage can have serious consequences for children.

This news comes at a time when births to couples who live together account for current high levels of nonmarital childbearing. Research suggests that patterns of childbearing outside of marriage have changed since 1970 when the overwhelming majority of children (89 percent) were born to married couples. Today a third of all children are born to unmarried parents. "Childbearing hasn't changed as much as marriage," said Kristin A. Moore, Ph.D., president and senior scholar at Child Trends. "Recent declines in the percentage of births to married couples are almost entirely due to an increase in births to cohabiting parents."

The dynamics of nonmarital childbearing have also changed. The public perception is that nonmarital childbearing is the same as teen childbearing. In 1970, half of all nonmarital births were to teenagers. Today that has dramatically changed. In 1999, teens accounted for less than one-third of all children born to unmarried mothers. Women ages 20 and older accounted for more than two-thirds of all children born to unmarried mothers. Women in their early 20s also had the highest rate of nonmarital births (72.3 per 1,000).

The report also finds that after increasing dramatically for several decades, the nonmarital birth rate has declined slightly since 1994, and the percentage of births to unmarried women has plateaued.

Source: Child Trends Research Brief

Effective Date for Final Rule on National Medical Support Notice

The Federal Register published a notice on January 26, 2001 (66FR 8074) that delayed the effective date for 60 days, until March 27, 2001, of the final rule for the National Medical Support Notice (NMSN) that was published December 27, 2000 (65 FR 82154).

The delay allowed Department officials the opportunity for further review and consideration of new regulations.

The delay ended March 27, 2001, and the final rule is effective as of that date.

The final rule implemented provisions of the Child Support Performance and Incentives Act of 1998. These provisions require state child support enforcement agencies, under title IV of the Social Security Act, to enforce the health care coverage provision in a child support order, and to use the NMSN to aid enforcement.

The Department of Labor published a similar notice of a 60-day delay of the effective date of their final rule on medical support. That final rule is also effective as of March 27, 2001.

The action transmittal (OCSE-AT-01-02) for the final rule and its attached OCSE and DOL Federal Register texts can be downloaded from the OCSE website at: www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/pol/at-01-02.htm.

California, Florida, Michigan Faith-Based Initiatives

California Faith-Based Initiative

In California, 20 faith-based organizations have been awarded grants totaling $5 million. More than 230 churches and other faith-based organizations applied for the grants, which are part of a new State Faith-Based Initiative and are intended to provide job training and other services to low income and disadvantaged individuals. The pool of potential clients includes homeless men and women, substance abusers, youth, limited English-speaking persons, and noncustodial parents.

Florida Urban Renewal and Faith-Based Initiatives

In Florida, the Governor has announced a $500,000 grant through the Department of Children and Families to help the Bethel Family Life Center deliver needed services to the residents of the Frenchtown community in Tallahassee The goal of this grant is to empower local citizens to foster change in their neighborhoods by enlisting them as partners in the project of urban renewal.

Michigan Office of Faith Community Liaison

In Michigan, the House Family and Children Services Committee is considering legislation to create an Office of Faith Community Liaison within the Governor's Office. The new office would parallel President Bush's new Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

HHS Blueprint for New Beginnings

HHS priority initiatives from the President's "Blueprint for New Beginnings" includes funds for promoting responsible fatherhood. The budget provides $64 million in 2002 ($315 million over five years) to strengthen the role of fathers in the lives of families.

This initiative will provide competitive grants to faith-based and community organizations that help unemployed or low-income fathers and their families avoid or leave cash welfare, as well as to programs that promote successful parenting and strengthen marriage. The initiative also funds projects of national significance.

Other priority initiatives include strengthening the health care safety net, promoting safe and stable families, encouraging compassion and charitable giving, and supporting maternity group homes.

OCSE to Hold Child Support Research Conference

OCSE will host a research conference at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia on June 7 - 8, 2001.

This conference will bring together leading child support administrators, practitioners, and researchers. The goal of the conference is to increase and improve child support research that will be used to shape the future of child support enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels.

Conference objectives include creating a forum for the exchange of information, encouraging more state-level child support research, and generating a child support research agenda.

We invite you to participate with us in this important undertaking.

For more information about the conference, contact Jim Rich at (202) 401-3447. For information about registration, contact Darlene Gregory at (301) 587-1600.