Virginia Arrears Management
CSF worked with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Department of Social Services, Division of Child Support Enforcement to study policy and practice of working cases with large arrears in child support payments. We performed a national survey of policy and practice as well as a study of Virginia practice and policy. The former task was done with an analysis of federal laws and regulations and a telephone survey of state child support agencies. The latter was conducted with a study of Virginia law and policy and focus groups with local office staff. Through a three-year demonstration grant by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, US Department of Health & Human Services, CSF provided services to study strategies and resources that provide assistance to low-income, non-custodial parents (NCPs) who either owe arrears or are likely to accumulate them in the state of Virginia. CSF helped the state achieve its three main goals for this project:- To provide customer-centered services and procedures for NCPs in the child support agency that result in consistent payments and avoid arrears;
- To prepare, validate, and implement a model (i.e., a tool) that will successfully classify the risk of NCPs falling into arrearages and then be used by child support agency staff to identify at-risk NCPs; and
- To refer at-risk NCPs to community-based services that can help them improve their role as parents, settle arrearages, and reinforce consistent payment on current support.
