FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Contact: Chris Downing
ACF Press Office (202) 401-9215
ACF APPROVES CHILD SUPPORT DEMONSTRATIONS IN FOUR STATES
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today announced $3.7 million in funding to support demonstrations in Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Minnesota to promote improvements in child support enforcement efforts.
“This brings to seven the number of projects we are funding to develop and test new strategies in communities across the nation to support healthy marriage and parental relationships with the goals of improving the well-being of children, promoting paternity establishment, and increasing financial and emotional support to children,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said.
The states will receive federal funding in the following amounts: Illinois will receive $819,009; Louisiana will receive $924,000; Massachusetts will receive $973,180; and Minnesota will receive $989,999. ACF will conduct a comprehensive evaluation to assess how the projects were implemented and their effects on families and children and the operation of the Child Support Program. Some of the projects will last five years, others three. All will be supplemented by private funding. These grants represent additional funding to the states and will not affect the amount of federal funds available to administer child support programs.
“These projects continue our efforts to enhance the overall goals and effectiveness of the child support enforcement program by testing and evaluating creative approaches to integrating the promotion of healthy marriage into existing child support services,” said Wade Horn, Ph.D., the assistant secretary for children and families at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The grants are awarded under the authority of Section 1115 of the Social Security Act and require that each project be designed to improve the financial well-being of children or otherwise improve the operation of the child support enforcement program. Section 1115 of the Social Security Act authorizes states to conduct experimental, pilot or demonstration projects that are likely to assist in promoting the objectives of the Social Security Act.
The goals of the demonstration projects include improving the establishment of paternity and increasing financial support for children as well as improving fathers’ relationships with both their children and the mothers of their children. The projects also will include efforts to improve couple relationships and reduce the potential for domestic violence. The projects are required to screen participants for domestic violence and refer appropriate individuals for services.
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