Who Pays? Who Benefits?
Georgia’s Parental Accountability Court (PAC) program recently received an award from the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA). PAC “intends to assist families by offering an alternative to incarceration for chronic nonpayers of child support.” By 2017, the program operated in 31 of Georgia’s 49 judicial districts and included: volunteer opportunities, literacy training, job assistance/placement, […]
November 10, 2017
Legislating More Obstacles for Wisconsin’s FoodShare (SNAP) Users
Wisconsin is considering legislation that would initiate two pilot programs within FoodShare, the state’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Recently introduced, AB 501/SB416 would create a pilot program offering FoodShare recipients discounts on “healthy foods.” The 10-month pilot would include 2000 households, 1000 from Milwaukee County and 500 from Dane County. […]
September 22, 2017
Let’s Take a Deeper Look at Wisconsin’s Worker “Shortage”
When Scott Walker ran for Governor of Wisconsin, one of his favorite slogans was “Wisconsin is open for business.” To access Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding, Wisconsin developed a state plan detailing it’s needs, challenges and prospects around employment. The plan highlights an aging workforce, historically low unemployment and a skills gap as […]
April 5, 2017
New Federal Child Support Annual Report Shows Fewer Children Served, and Millions Paid by Families With Low Incomes
The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement has recently published its Annual Report to Congress for FY 2015. The number of children and parents served by child support agencies nationwide has continued to steadily decline over the past five years.1 This is despite the number of children in the USA remaining relatively stable during the same years. This […]
March 17, 2017
Child Support Lessons from Canada: A Different Approach for Parents with Low Incomes
The Waterloo Region of Ontario recently made some key changes related to child support policy as part of a larger poverty reduction strategy. These statutory changes apparently reflect an income support goal on the part of Waterloo policymakers. Those changes include one approach already used in the United States and one that should be considered […]
February 8, 2017
Wisconsin Works for Some
In his budget, to be released this week, Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker is expected to roll out Wisconsin Works for Everyone, a plan which will further aspects of the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program also known as W-2 or Wisconsin Works. Self-sufficiency is the stated goal of the Wisconsin Works for Everyone proposal, […]
October 20, 2016
Clinton’s Child Tax Credit Proposal: Yes, And….
In its current form, the Child Tax Credit was passed with bipartisan support. In combination with the Earned Income Tax Credit, research suggests that it benefits children “at virtually every stage of life, including improved school performance, higher college enrollment, and increased work effort and earnings in adulthood.” The CTC is a successful policy that […]
September 23, 2016
Listening to Advocates: DV and Sexual Assault Prevention
In the spring of 2016, End Abuse Wisconsin commissioned the Center for Family Policy and Practice (CFFPP) to facilitate listening sessions about the use of state resources to support domestic abuse and sexual assault prevention across the state of Wisconsin. In these sessions, domestic violence, sexual assault advocates and experts and culturally specific program providers […]
September 1, 2016
Pacific Standard: Child Support’s $115 Billion Problem
CFFPP Director Jacquelyn Boggess was featured in a recent article by Dwyer Gunn of the Pacific Standard on the monumental rise in debt many non-custodial parents face, especially low-income parents, as a result of high monthly child support orders. Gunn argues that in addition to discouraging parents from entering the workforce, these debts lead to […]
September 1, 2016
Head Start: Family make-up and demographics
Head Start programs focus on the school readiness of young children from low-income families, and would best serve children by supporting and recognizing all of the adults involved in a child’s care and well-being. If one thing has become clear to us at CFFPP, it is that families are complex, and that the expansion of […]