Factors that Impact the Child Support Program’s Role in Reducing Child Poverty: Convening Summary

This brief summarizes an expert convening focused on the child support program’s current ability and future potential to help address child poverty.

Key Findings

• Various factors were suggested that may contribute to current child support program participation trends, including difficulty navigating the child support program, negative perceptions of the program, potential disruptions of family dynamics resulting from participation, and not adequately meeting the needs of the low -income and diverse family structures within the child support program. Addressing these barriers, both perceived and real, may attract more families experiencing poverty, who could benefit from child support services, to participate.
• Partnerships with other programs and sectors were viewed by experts as important factors to consider when addressing the ability of the child support program to tackle child poverty. Some of the most important partners can come from other public human services programs, the justice systems, workforce development agencies, and community-based organizations.
• Experts offered several factors that can contribute to successful partnerships for the child support program. These include alignment of goals and policies across partners, the ability to exchange data, and how partners can leverage and share resources.
• Several opportunities to improve how the child support program addresses child poverty were offered, including:
  • Distributing all child support to the families on whose behalf it is collected
  • Re-examining cooperation requirements
  • Formally recognizing informal and in-kind child support contributions
  • Providing access to services to establish parenting time orders
  • Offering flexible, holistic services
• Providing staff training to enhance customer service and equity