FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, May 13, 1995
Contact: ACF Press Office (202) 401-9215
SURVEY SHOWS NEED FOR STRONGER CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
Fewer than half of non-custodial parents make any payments at all for
their children's support, and only about a quarter pay the full awarded
amount, according to new findings released by the Census Bureau today.
"This report shows the unmistakable
need for a stronger child support enforcement system in our country,"
said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala.
The report, Child Support for Custodial
Mothers and Fathers, shows that 11.5 million families with children
had a parent living elsewhere as of spring 1992, but only 6.2 million
(54 percent) of the custodial parents had received awards or agreements
for child support.
And even among those who had received
support awards, payment was inconsistent:
o about half received the full amount
o about a quarter received partial payment,
and
o about a quarter received no payment.
"This report confirms that a wide gap
persists in the area of child support," said Secretary Shalala. "Only
about half of single parents have any child support award in place at
all. And even for those who have awards, payment is too often unreliable.
It is shameful and unacceptable that so many of our children should
be living without the support of both parents."
The number of families with an absent
parent represented about a third of all American families with children,
according to the report.
In 1991, the report found, total ordered
child support payments were $17.7 billion, but only $11.9 billion of
that amount was paid, leaving $5.8 billion uncollected. These numbers
reflect only the amount of child support owed for the 54 percent of
custodial parents who had child support orders in place.
Secretary Shalala said that improvements
in the child support collection system proposed by the Clinton administration
could increase payments by some $24 billion over 10 years. Those proposals
include new hire reporting, uniform state laws, computerized statewide
collections, streamlined paternity
establishment, and revocation of licenses
for those who fail to pay child support awards.
Shalala said bipartisan support had
resulted in the inclusion of these improvements to the child support
enforcement system in the Personal Responsibility Act passed by the
House of Representatives in March.
Today's Census report also found that
mothers living with children from an absent father had a poverty rate
of 35 percent, more than four times the rate for married couples with
children. For custodial mothers without child support orders, nearly
half or 49 percent of the families were poor.
"We know that many families, deprived
of child support, are forced to go on welfare," said Mary Jo Bane, assistant
secretary for children and families. "Child support combined with work
is a crucial link for families seeking self-sufficiency."
Another study released last year estimated
the amount that would be collectible if all eligible families had child
support orders in place that were fully paid, using a uniform national
guideline to determine payment amounts. That study indicated that the
difference between what was actually paid and what could potentially
be collected to support children was $34 billion.
The new Census report is also the first
to provide information on custodial fathers. While some 9.9 million
custodial parents were women (86 percent), fathers were the custodial
parent in 1.6 million families (14 percent). Of those with awards and
payment due, about two-thirds received some payment.
"Regardless of which parent had custody,
both fathers and mothers experienced problems in obtaining child support,"
said Bane.
In general, fewer custodial fathers
live in poverty (13 percent for fathers, compared with 35 percent for
mothers), and fewer fathers had support awards (41 percent for fathers,
compared with 56 percent for mothers). However, for parents with unpaid
child support, the poverty rate for both custodial mothers and fathers
was about the same, just under 30 percent.
Among parents without an award in place,
the top two reasons for fathers were that they "did not want an award"
and "did not pursue an award," and for mothers that they "did not pursue
an award" and they were "unable to locate the father." As with all demographic
surveys, the Census report reflects a small degree of underreporting,
caused by missed housing units and persons with the sample population.
###
Copies of the Census report are available from the Census Bureau's
Public Information Office by telephone: 301-457-2794; fax: 301-457-3670;
or e-mail: pio@census.gov.
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