| Office
of Child Support Enforcement | Print Version |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, Sept. 18, 2000
Contact: Michael Kharfen, (202) 401-9215
HHS AWARDS NEW FUNDS FOR INNOVATIVE
CHILD SUPPORT PROJECTS
HHS Secretary Donna
E. Shalala today announced the award of more than $1.1 million in demonstration
grants to states for funding innovative projects to promote the objectives
of the nation's child support enforcement program. The objectives of the
program are to increase the financial and emotional support of children
by their parents.
Seventeen grants
were awarded to 12 states, and funding for the 17-month grants was made
available under the authority of Title IV-D and Section 1115 of the Social
Security Act.
"The Clinton-Gore
administration is committed to increasing the knowledge of how best to
increase parental support for children and families in need," said
Secretary Shalala. "With these grants, we are creating new opportunities
for us to learn how to continue to strengthen the child support program."
"We look forward to learning from these demonstrations, so we can
continue to strengthen the nation's child support program," said
Olivia Golden, assistant secretary for children and families. "Even
with record advancements, we must always find means to do more."
The grants provide
a wide opportunity to test new methods to enhance the child support enforcement
program through the development of a fresh knowledge base. Massachusetts
will pilot a project to develop methods of identification and coordination
related to inmates and offenders with child support obligations. Maine,
with two related projects, will enhance the use of community resource
networks to reach out to non-custodial parents to ascertain their financial
circumstances. New Jersey, through intense outreach, will improve establishment
of medical support orders. Montana will develop data on the costs of raising
children targeted to that state. Minnesota will test ways to increase
the medical coverage of children through outreach, referrals and direct
enrollment.
Virginia will enhance
its Project Save Our Children law enforcement collaboration activities.
Connecticut will improve child support program outcomes through the development
of a partnership executive council involving the courts, the attorney
general and the Bureau of Child Support Enforcement. Arizona will enhance
its medical support order establishment. Minnesota will also strengthen
its voluntary paternity establishment activities for non-English speaking
parents as well as look at ways to get more money to families. Washington
will study ways to improve its child support guideline schedules so that
payments are made more regularly.
In other projects,
Maryland will continue to develop a program of certification of the state's
child support workers. California will improve outreach and services to
urban Hispanics. West Virginia will develop multi-media approaches to
encourage teens to practice abstinence and avoid teenage pregnancy in
conjunction with its paternity establishment program. Puerto Rico will
enhance the use of automated processes to reduce errors and paperwork.
Since taking office,
the Clinton administration has made child support enforcement a high priority,
doubling the number of collections since 1992. The number of families
receiving support increased by more than 59 percent during the same period,
increasing to 4.5 million families in 1998. Approximately 3.5 million
parents delinquent in child support payments have been found by the National
Directory of New Hires, which matches all employees, both newly hired
and those already holding jobs, with a list of parents who owe child support.
Paternity establishment rose to nearly 1.5 million in 1998, an increase
of more than 300 percent since 1992. And the new child support enforcement
measures that were enacted under welfare reform are projected to increase
collections by billions over the next 10 years.
"The child support
program has made great strides for millions of children, said David Gray
Ross, commissioner, Administration for Children and Families' Office of
Child Support Enforcement. "We are excited about the prospects offered
by these new grants."
The demonstrations
require an evaluation. Grant amounts awarded are 29 percent of the total
project's budget and are matched with 66 percent federal funds. The total
funds are in excess of $3.8 million.
A listing of grant
recipients follows:
New Section 1115
Projects, Fiscal Year 2000
Arizona Department
of Economic Security
Medical Support Enforcement Improvement - Obtain Matching Data for Insurance
in Which Obligor Is Enrolled to Allow IV-D to Issue National Notice of
Enrollment
$50,000
California Department
of Child Support Services
Urban Hispanic Outreach
$50,000
Connecticut Department
of Social Services
Partners Executive Council
$50,000
Maryland Department
of Human Services
Child Support Worker Certification Implementation Program
$49,979
Maine Dept. of Human
Services
Maine's Non -Custodial Parent Outreach and Investigation Project, Phase
I
$50,000
Maine Dept. of Human
Services
Maine's Non -Custodial Parent Outreach and Investigation Project, Phase
II
$84,640
Massachusetts Department
of Revenue
Fathers in the Criminal Justice System: A Collaboration Between Child
Support Enforcement and Criminal Justice Agencies in Massachusetts
$167,748
Minnesota Department
of Human Services
Paternity Establishment Percentage Improvement Initiative
$50,000
Minnesota Department
of Human Services
Evaluating Minnesota's Child Support Passthrough Policy: A Process and
Outcome Evaluation
$50,000
Minnesota Department
of Human Services
Increasing Access to Medical Coverage for Children: Developing a Plan
for the Minnesota Child Support Program
$50,000
Montana Department
of Health & Human Services
A Study of the Cost of Raising a Child in Montana
$50,000
New Jersey Department
of Human Services
The Use of an 'In Court' Facilitator to Facilitate the Establishment and
Enforcement of Medical Support Orders
$47,500
Puerto Rico Administration
For Child Support (ASUME)
Using Imaging to Reduce Undistributed Collections
$145,000
Virginia Division
of Child Support Enforcement
A Shared Partnership with Law Enforcement Agency: Increasing Effectiveness
Locating NCP's & Assets with On-Line Tools
$70,265
Virginia Division
of Child Support Enforcement
Improving The Court-Ordered Paternity Process
$50,000
Washington State
Department of Social and Health Services
A Study of Washington Child Support Orders: Exploring the Universe of
Cases Within the Context of the Child Support Schedule
$50,000
West Virginia Department
of Health & Human Resources
Public Awareness Outreach Campaign To Educate West Virginia's Youth About
Teenage Pregnancy By Producing A Video In Conjunction With Its Paternity
Establishment 'Parenthood and You' (PAY) Program
$50,000
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
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